Synapse
May 1, 2026
Bridget Xu, Cassandra Carrasco, Yi‐Wen Chen et al.
ABSTRACT Anorexia nervosa is a deadly eating disorder marked by extreme food restriction, compulsive exercise, and severe weight loss. In a prior study using the activity‐based anorexia (ABA) animal model of anorexia nervosa, 30 mg/kg, but not 3 mg/kg, of ketamine reduced relapse vulnerability, measured as increased food intake, increased body weight (BW), and reduced excessive wheel running,...
Hippocampus
October 7, 2025
Yiru Dong, Jundi Wang, Olivia Ge et al.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) has high mortality and relapse rates, yet no accepted pharmacotherapies. Reports based on six individuals suggest that ketogenic diet (KGD) combined with sub‐anesthetic ketamine (KET) is an effective treatment. The animal model, Activity‐Based Anorexia (ABA), captures AN's maladaptive behaviors of voluntary food restriction, excessive exercise, severe weight loss,...
Physiology & Behavior
September 1, 2025
Yiru Dong, Sebastian Goodwin-Groen, Jessie Ma et al.
4 citations
The activity-based anorexia (ABA) animal model captures key maladaptive behaviors of anorexia nervosa - starvation-evoked hyperactivity, voluntary food restriction, severe weight loss and elevated anxiety-like behavior. By repeating ABA induction, the model reveals an animal's gain of resilience against ABA relapses and concomitant synaptic plasticity. We review findings on the efficacy of...
Synapse
2025
Yiru Dong, Chiye Aoki
2 citations
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder with the second highest mortality of all mental illnesses and high relapse rate, especially among adult females, yet with no accepted pharmacotherapy. A small number of studies have reported that adult females who struggled with severe and relapsing AN experienced sustained remission of the illness following ketamine infusions. Two other reports...
Synapse
September 19, 2022
Rose Temizer, Yi‐Wen Chen, Chiye Aoki
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental illness with the highest rates of mortality and relapse, and no approved pharmacological treatment. Using an animal model of AN, called activity‐based anorexia (ABA), we showed earlier that a single intraperitoneal injection of ketamine at a dose of 30 mg/kg (30mgKET), but not 3 mg/kg (3mgKET), has a long‐lasting effect upon adolescent females of ameliorating...