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Pharmacopsychiatry 2013; 46(02): 47-53
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1321869
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Relationships between Platelet MAO-B Activity and Personality Styles in Acute and Weight-Recovered Young Patients with Anorexia Nervosa

R. Schott
1   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
L. Franke
2   Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Laboratory of Clinical Neurobiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
R. Burghardt
1   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
J. Doepmann
1   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
V. Roessner
3   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
,
U. Lehmkuhl
1   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
,
S. Ehrlich
4   Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 01 March 2012
revised 29 May 2012

accepted 03 July 2012

Publication Date:
22 August 2012 (online)

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Abstract

Objective:

Previous studies have shown relationships between personality styles and markers of serotonergic functioning, but data on patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are scarce.

Methods:

The personality styles and disorder inventory was administered to 47 acute patients with anorexia nervosa (acAN), 27 weight-recovered patients (recAN) and 72 healthy controls (HC) aged between 14 and 21 years. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO-B) activity was assayed with [14C]-β-phenylethylamine as substrate.

Results:

AcAN had significant elevated scores on 9 of the 14 personality style subscales when compared to HC, whereas recAN were largely normal. Platelet MAO-B activity and “ambitious/narcissistic” scores correlated negatively in acAN. In recAN we found positive correlations between MAO-B and personality subscores.

Conclusions:

The inverse relationship between a cluster B personality style and MAO-B activity in acAN is in accordance with studies in other patient populations. In contrast, positive associations between problematic personality styles and MAO-B activity in recAN combined with the overall decreased MAO-B activity in this group adds to the existing evidence suggesting a general dysfunction of the serotonergic system as a trait marker for AN.

Key words

anorexia nervosa - personality styles - personality disorders - platelet monoamine oxidase activity - psychopathology
 

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