According to a new study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, the brains of women with the eating disorder Bulimia Nervosa respond differently to images of sugary and high-fat foods following a stressful situation than those without the disorder. Brain scans reveal bulimic women have decreased blood flow to the precuneus, an area of the brain associated with self-criticism, when presented with images of food following a stressful math test. The findings provide support to current theories that binge eating may provide an alternative focus to negative self-reflections.
