A research published today, proclaimed the findings that binge-purge syndrome, ‘bulimia nervosa’, may affect the part of the brain that helps emphasizing self control and reduce its activity. This reduced self control increases the urge to eat more. This research was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry carried out by Dr. Rachel Marsh and colleagues at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York.

Psychological tests were carried out to establish the facts. The women with self control disorder i.e. with uncontrolled eating habits responded in an impulsive way than others, committing more errors consequently. During the tests, brain scanning was also done to see the reactions of different actions on brain.

Dr. Marsh told that the tests they took were easy. The participants had to point towards the direction of an arrow that appeared on the screen. The task became difficult for the participants when the arrow on the left side of the screen, pointed towards right.

Dr. Marsh said, “We found that patients with bulimia performed worse on the task”. This syndrome is generally found in females. The patient eats large amounts of food at short intervals. To eat more, the patients vomit artificially or take laxatives in order to empty the stomach. The doctors say, ‘episodes of binge eating are associated with a severe sense of loss of control’.

In connection to her findings of the patients doing bad, the doctor says, “We think this has to do a lot with their general impulsivity, “We think this has to do a lot with their general impulsivity’.