by Jordan Prochnow
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A recent study published by University of Iowa researchers has found specific genetic mutations that make individuals more predisposed to have to battle eating disorders. The study ran genetic sequencing on individuals with eating disorders and found never-before discovered mutations that cause these behaviors.
UI psychiatry Assistant Professor Jacob Michaelson, the senior author of the study, collaborated with students in the Carver College of Medicine and researchers from the Eating Recovery Center in Dallas to use whole exome sequencing, identifying individuals who may be genetically predisposed to behaviors associated with eating disorders.
“We decided to do the research because the risk of developing an eating disorder is largely inherited, but the genes that are affected are unknown,” Michael Lutter, a former UI psychiatry assistant professor and current employee at the Eating Recovery Center, said in an email to The Daily Iowan.
The team began by sequencing data from individuals affected by eating disorders, observing previously unseen genetic mutations. Data from individuals with a diagnosed psychiatric condition was then removed, to see how these mutations occur. They found neuropeptides and receptors (regulators of metabolism and appetite) were affected by these mutations.
Lutter also used a mouse model to target the pathways using a drug given to patients for conditions such as diabetes. Results showed that the mice had fewer binge-eating symptoms. Michaelson also said that Lutter is studying the effects of providing patients with an anti-inflammatory drug, which has “uniformly” shown to decrease cravings and binge-
eating tendencies.
Michaelson is in the early stages of collaborating with other clinics to implement genetic sequencing, hoping to find personalized treatments for patients based on their affectations.
“My hope is that this will allow us to design more rational therapies that can act on these pathways and to hammer home that not everyone who has an eating disorder is the same,” Michaelson said.
Michaelson also wants to investigate potential links between eating disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions, to find relationships and liabilities between the two. The lab plans on examining data from children with autism, who tend to have very specific appetites, and running the same sequencing on them to question whether there could be a connection between autism and eating conditions. He also seeks to decrease misunderstandings and stigma around these conditions.
“Eating disorders are conditions that do not get as much attention as others do. They’re one of the most deadly, so it’s a major issue,” Michaelson said. “Every mental illness has some level of stigma; eating disorders in particular, because people who don’t know that it’s a very biological condition think that it’s all in their head.”
The UI has a large network of support for eating disorders, providing treatment for those battling these conditions as well as information for students and faculty to decrease stigma and give more knowledge of symptoms.
“What I love about this this study is that it supports that eating disorders come from both nature and nurture,” Kelly Clougher, assistant director for outreach at the University Counseling Service. “There’s a biological predisposition to these issues, but environments can trigger these, too.”
