Antibodies against human putamen in adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Objective To examine whether antiputamen antibodies are present in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Method Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with an extract of human putamen as an antigen, sera samples obtained from 22 adolescents with active AN and from 22 healthy adolescents (control group) were assayed for antibodies to neuronal components Results Mean optical density (OD) readings for serum antibodies against human putamen in adolescents with AN was significantly greater than the mean OD readings in the control group (0.492 ± 0.086 vs. 0.275 ± 0.028, p = .02). When serum positivity was defined as an OD level greater than 2 SD above the mean control group value (0.541), antiputamen antibodies were detected in the blood of 6 AN patients (27%) whereas they were detected in the blood of 1 patient (5%) in the control group (p < .05; Fisher's exact test). Discussion The detection of antiputamen antibodies in adolescents with AN suggests an underlying immune process at the putamen level in some patients with this eating disorder. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disorder 29: 463–469, 2001.