Authors: Marek Brandys, Judith Hendriks, Unna Danner, Annemarie van Elburg, Roger Adan
Centre: The Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Dept. of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disease with a well-documented heritability. The mechanisms of genetic susceptibility to AN remain largely unknown. In this study we begin with determining associations of candidate genes to the disease by comparing genotypes' distributions between cases and controls. Consecutively, in the AN group, we investigate the relations of associated genes to treatment course and outcome, personality traits assessed via psychological questionnaires and cognitive flexibility assessed by means of a neurocognitive task.
Particular attention is paid to genes of dopaminergic but many other candidate genes are also studied. Phenotypes of interest include diagnosis subtype (restrictive or purging type), treatment outcome, highest and lowest BMI, age at onset of disease, personality features (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive traits, reward sensitiveness), activity levels, cognitive flexibility (set-shifting) and biomarkers (Leptin, Ghrelin).
Study designs include case-control setting (genotype frequencies compared between cases and controls) and case-only setting (detailed phenotyping and endophenotypes are used to divide the sample into more homogenous subgroups). Furthermore, predictive value of genetic data for treatment course and outcome will be investigated.