Anhedonia in Eating Disorders.
Susan M MurrayCarina S BrownWalter H KayeChristina E WierengaPublished in: Current topics in behavioral neurosciences (2022)
Anhedonia is frequently observed among individuals with eating disorders (ED), though its relevance to ED pathology and clinical outcomes remain poorly understood. This chapter will present the latest findings regarding anhedonia in ED, with the majority of data available for anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). We consider anhedonia from the mechanistic lens of altered reward processing, with attention given to subjective experience, neurotransmitter function, neural correlates, and cognitive performance corresponding to distinct components of reward (i.e., liking, wanting, and learning). Findings from animal models are also highlighted. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for treatment and future directions aimed at better understanding anhedonia in ED.