CEDI - Centre for Eating Disorders Innovation

Ongoing projects

Binge-Eating Disorder in the Swedish National Registers

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder marked by binge eating (eating an unusually large amount of food and feeling out of control) in the absence of any inappropriate compensatory behaviors. Although BED is a fairly new diagnosis, it has been around for a long time and is the most common eating disorder. We are conducting a series of studies in collaboration with the Swedish National Quality Registers for eating disorders Riksät and Stepwise and colleagues at the Stockholm Centre for Eating Disorders (SCÄ) to understand the nature of BED, how often it co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety, how often it includes medical complications, and how individuals with BED utilize medications and healthcare in general. The research team includes Henrik Larsson, Andreas Birgegård, Claes Norring, Yvonne von Hausswolff-Juhlin, Elisabeth Welch, Laura Thornton, Andreas Jangmo, and Hunna Watson, and Cynthia Bulik.

COVID-ED Sverige

The project investigates how people with current or previous eating disorder experience the period during the Corona pandemic. We ask via an online survey about life situation regarding work, social distancing and experiences of own and others' contact with Covid-19, but above all we are interested in how participants feel that their eating disorder symptoms and anxiety level have changed, and whether access to and quality of care has been affected (for those undergoing eating disorder treatment). Participants are people who have previously participated in ANGI or BEGIN, and who we therefore know have had and possibly have an eating disorder. We hope to contribute knowledge about how people with an eating disorder, who may be more vulnerable to changes of the type caused by the pandemic (eg interrupted routines, reduced social support), experience their everyday lives and what specific challenges they face. Such knowledge may provide information about how care may need to be adapted, and what support people with a previous or current eating disorder may require. In parallel, similar data are being collected in the Netherlands and the United States, and we intend to compile and compare data from all three countries to examine similarities and differences. All three collections are longitudinal, ie take place on several occasions, so that we can analyze how the participants' experiences develop over time. The project started in May 2020 and the one-year follow-up takes place in spring / summer 2021. The project is led by Andreas Birgegård, and includes Jet Termorshuizen, Emma Forsén Mantilla, Androula Savva, Stina Borg, Afrouz Abbaspour, David Clinton and Cynthia Bulik.

Eating Disorders in the Swedish Twin and Population Registers

Utilizing the rich epidemiological data available in Sweden, trainees and faculty at CEDI are studying a number of important research questions related to eating disorders across the lifespan. Researchers include Shuyang Yao, Camilla Wiklund, Chris Hübel, Anna Hedman, Mattias Strand, Laura Thornton, Henrik Larsson, Paul Lichtenstein, Nancy Pedersen, Ralf Kuja-Halkola, and Cynthia Bulik.

Contact

Professor Cynthia Bulik is responsible for the centre and you can contact her by e-mail if you have any questions. Operations manager Bengt Fundin is also available to answer any questions you may have.

Affiliates

Ethics

At CEDI we uphold the highest ethical standards in research. The privacy and rights of participants in our studies are central to our mission. We are deeply grateful to all individuals who are willing to share information about themselves to help us further the world’s understanding of eating disorders. In return, we honor your privacy by being careful stewards of your data.

Publications

Significant Locus and Metabolic Genetic Correlations Revealed in Genome-Wide Association Study of Anorexia Nervosa.
Duncan L, Yilmaz Z, Gaspar H, Walters R, Goldstein J, Anttila V, et al
Am J Psychiatry 2017 09;174(9):850-858

Exploration of large, rare copy number variants associated with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in individuals with anorexia nervosa.
Yilmaz Z, Szatkiewicz JP, Crowley JJ, Ancalade N, Brandys MK, van Elburg A, et al
Psychiatr. Genet. 2017 08;27(4):152-158

Paternal age at childbirth and eating disorders in offspring.
Javaras KN, Rickert ME, Thornton LM, Peat CM, Baker JH, Birgegård A, et al
Psychol Med 2017 Feb;47(3):576-584

Enkephalin-immunoreactive fastigial neurons in the rat cerebellum project to upper cervical cord segments.
Ikeda M, Houtani T, Nakagawa H, Baba K, Kondoh A, Ueyama T, et al
Brain Res. 1995 Sep;690(2):225-30

Association Between Childhood to Adolescent Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptom Trajectories and Late Adolescent Disordered Eating.
Yilmaz Z, Javaras KN, Baker JH, Thornton LM, Lichtenstein P, Bulik CM, et al
J Adolesc Health 2017 Aug;61(2):140-146

Risk of eating disorders in immigrant populations.
Mustelin L, Hedman AM, Thornton LM, Kuja-Halkola R, Keski-Rahkonen A, Cantor-Graae E, et al
Acta Psychiatr Scand 2017 08;136(2):156-165

Risk of being convicted of theft and other crimes in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A prospective cohort study in a Swedish female population.
Yao S, Kuja-Halkola R, Thornton LM, Norring C, Almqvist C, D'Onofrio BM, et al
Int J Eat Disord 2017 09;50(9):1095-1103

Self-admission to inpatient treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa: The patient's perspective.
Strand M, Bulik CM, von Hausswolff-Juhlin Y, Gustafsson SA
Int J Eat Disord 2017 Apr;50(4):398-405

Risk of eating disorders in immigrant populations.
Mustelin L, Hedman AM, Thornton LM, Kuja-Halkola R, Keski-Rahkonen A, Cantor-Graae E, et al
Acta Psychiatr Scand 2017 08;136(2):156-165

Celiac Disease and Anorexia Nervosa: A Nationwide Study.
Mårild K, Størdal K, Bulik CM, Rewers M, Ekbom A, Liu E, et al
Pediatrics 2017 May;139(5):

Exploration of large, rare copy number variants associated with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in individuals with anorexia nervosa.
Yilmaz Z, Szatkiewicz JP, Crowley JJ, Ancalade N, Brandys MK, van Elburg A, et al
Psychiatr. Genet. 2017 08;27(4):152-158

Reduced metabolism in the hypothalamus of the anorectic anx/anx mouse.
Bergström U, Lindfors C, Svedberg M, Johansen JE, Häggkvist J, Schalling M, et al
J. Endocrinol. 2017 04;233(1):15-24

Half-day symposium

On Oct 2, 2017, we hosted a half-day symposium together with the Stockholm Center for Eating Disorders. The conference was held in Aula Medica at Karolinska Institutet between 1 and 5 pm. Most of the lectures were held in Swedish (Yvonne von Hausswolff-Juhlin, Göran Kenttä and Marit Sahlström) while one lecture was in English (Cynthia Bulik). The lectures were filmed for Swedish television.

Dissemination and outreach

• Nilsson, I. “The Neurobiology of anorexia - Studies of mice and men”, CMM Lunch seminar, Stockholm, Sweden. (March, 2016)
• Jangmo, A. “Binge-Eating Disorder in the Swedish National Registers: Somatic Comorbidity.” International Conference on Eating Disorders. San Francisco, USA (May, 2016)
• Bulik C.M., “Changing the way the world thinks about eating disorders.” Get Inspired by a Professor Lecture, Karolinska Institutet (April, 2016)
• Bulik, C.M., “Eating disorders genomics at KI: The next generation.” Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet (April 2016)
• Bulik, C.M., “Centre for Eating Disorders Innovation: Overview.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Welch, E. Comprehensive Risk Evaluation for Anorexia nervosa in Twins (CREAT): Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Hübel, C. “Metabolic function in anorexia nervosa.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Wiklund, C. “Binge-eating Disorder Genetics INitative” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Yao, S. “Theft and other crimes in eating disorders: A register-based cohort study.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Hedman, A. “Eating disorders among immigrants.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Jangmo, A. “Diagnostic crossover in eating disorders.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Nilsson, I. “Mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation in anorexia nervosa.” Nationellt ätstörningssymposium, Stockholm (January, 2017)
• Bulik, C.M. “Anorexia nervosa reconceptualized: Evidence for psychiatric and metabolic etiology.” Forskning på psykisk helse og rus. Oslo, Norway (February, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. "Unlearning - the hardest thing to do. Changing perceptions of eating disorders with science." The David Packard Lecture. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Bethesda, MD (May, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. “Nine Truths About Eating Disorders: What every practitioner needs to know.” Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Department of Sport Medicine, Kleivstua, Norway (May 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. “Building and nurturing a transdisciplinary consortium.” Special Interest Group Panel. International Conference on Eating Disorders, Prague Czech Republic (June, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. “Genome-wide association study reveals first locus for anorexia nervosa & metabolic correlations.” International Conference on Eating Disorders, Prague Czech Republic (June, 2017).
• Yao, S., Kuja-Halkola, R. Thornton, L.M., Birgegård, A., Norring, C., Bulik, C.M., Larsson, H. “Familial liability for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders: applying a genetically informative epidemiological design in a large Swedish population.” 21st World Congress of Epidemiology. Saitama, Japan (August, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M., Probst, M., Fernández-Aranda, F. (Symposium) “Males and eating disorders: Clinical features and therapy.” European Council on Eating Disorders. Vilnius, Lithuania (September, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. (Plenary) “Eating disorders: Genetics and epigenetics.” Eating Disorders Research Society. Leipzig, Germany (September, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M., Fernández-Aranda, F. (Debate) “Focusing on body image is an essential treatment component for recovery in eating disorders.” European Council on Eating Disorders. Vilnius, Lithuania (September, 2017)
• Breithaupt, L., Hedman, A., Thornton, L., Zerwas, S., Tillander, A., Larsson, H., Savendhal, L., Almqvist, C., Bulik, C.M. A nationwide study of the association between autoimmune diseases and eating disorders. Eating Disorders Research Society. Leipzig, Germany (September, 2017).
• Wiklund, C., Kuja-Halkola, R., Thornton, L., Bälter, K., Welch, E., Lichtenstein, P., Bulik, C.M. “BMI and development of eating disorder traits: A Swedish twin study. Eating Disorders Research Society. Leipzig, Germany (September, 2017)
• Wiklund, C., Kuja-Halkola, R., Thornton, LM., Bälter, K., Welch, E., Lichtenstein, P., Bulik, CM. (Poster) “Childhood BMI and development of eating disorder traits in adolescence and early adulthood: A Swedish twin study” Eating Disorders Research Society (EDRS) Annual meeting, Leipzig, Germany. (September,2017)
• Bulik, C.M. “Anorexia nervosa reconceptualized: Evidence for psychiatric and metabolic etiology.” Centrum för arbets- och miljömedicin (CAMM), Stockholm, Sweden (September, 2017).
• Bulik, C.M. “The new science of eating disorders: Replacing myths with truths.” #EDSTHLM2017. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (October, 2017).
• Yao S, et al. “Overlap between anorexia & bulimia nervosa: Understanding the genetic and environmental effects using a Swedish population registry”, the 25th World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (WCPG, October,2017), Orlando, Florida, USA (Oral presentation)
• CEDI arranged an ”Om Ätstörningar – ny kunskap och ökad medvetenhet” event (#EDSTHLM2017) together with the SCÄ. The event was recorded by the Utbildningsradio and is available online at https://urskola.se/Produkter/203094-UR-Samtiden-Ny-kunskap-om-atstorningar-Samtal-med-olika-perspektiv-pa-atstorningar#Se-program (October 2017)
• Bulik, C.M. “Keys to a successful research career: Tales from a survivor.” Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (February, 2018).
• Bulik, C.M. (Plenary) “Eating disorders: State of the Science” Jubiläumskongress. Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (March, 2018).
• Bulik, C.M. (Plenary) “The intestinal microbiota and eating disorders.” International Conference on Eating Disorders, Chicago, IL (April, 2018).
• Bulik, C.M., Kirby, J.S. (Keynote) “Teamwork in recovery: Engaging partners in the treatment of eating disorders.” Nordic Eating Disorders Society. Reykjavik, Iceland (September, 2018).
• Bulik, C.M. (Plenary) “What have we been missing? How genetics is guiding a reconceptualization of anorexia nervosa.” World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics. Glasgow, Scotland (October, 2018).
• Bryant, C., Bulik, C.M., Dulawa, S. Hübel, C., Micali, N. (Symposium) “Mammalian genetics of eating disorders.” World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics. Glasgow, Scotland (October, 2018).
• Zhang, R., Kuja-Halkola, R., Bulik, C.M., Bergen, S. (Poster) Risk for schizophrenia in individuals with eating disorders and their relatives. World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics. Glasgow, Scotland (October, 2018).
• Bulik, C.M. “What have we been missing? How genetics is guiding a reconceptualization of eating disorders.” Stockholm Centre for Eating Disorders (SCÄ). Stockholm, Sweden (February, 2019).
• Bulik, C.M. “From slow waltz to jive: Accelerating genomic discovery in eating disorders.” F.E.A.S.T. of Knowledge. New York, New York (March, 2019).
• Bulik, C.M. “The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative.” Something for Kelly Foundation. Dallas, Texas (May, 2019).
• Bulik, C.M. “The other half of the story: Reconceptualizing anorexia nervosa.” MAGNET Symposium. University College London, United Kingdom (June, 2019).
• Bulik, C.M. (Keynote) “We’ve had it all wrong for so long: rewriting the book on eating disorders with genetics.” Behavior Genetics Association. Stockholm, Sweden. (June, 2019).
• Bulik, C.M. (Keynote) Revolutionizing our understanding of anorexia nervosa through genetics. Could it be a metabo-psychiatric disorder? Essential knowledge for clinicians. XIV European Congress of Psychology. Moscow, Russia (July 2019).
• Bronnikova, S., Della Grave, R., Bulik, C.M. (Panel Discussion) Modern approaches to psychotherapy of eating disorders: from the utopia of a single protocol to the reality of collaboration of evidence-based approaches. XIV European Congress of Psychology. Moscow, Russia (July 2019).

Scientific Advisory Board

• Dr. Gerome Breen (PhD, Chair of SAB) is a Reader in Neuropsychiatric & Translational Genetics; Department of Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry; King’s College London and Director NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. Dr. Breen will advise on all aspects of CEDI research related to genomics.
• Prof. Kerstin Plessen (MD, PhD) is Professor and Head of Research, Mental Health Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Prof. Plessen will advise on all aspects of CEDI research that relate to the general field of child psychiatry.
• Dr. Andreas Birgegård (PhD) is Head of the Unit Kunskapscentrum för ätstörningar (KÄTS) in Stockholm and a research group leader at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. His work focuses on research, education, supervision and responsibility for the quality assurance system Stepwise. Dr. Birgegård will serve as the content expert for eating disorders and advise on all research related to the Swedish registers.
• Prof Paul Lichtenstein (PhD) is former Head of Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.
• Dr Camilla Stoltenberg (MD, PhD), Director General, Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Dr. Stoltenberg is also adjunct professor at the Department of global public health and community care, University of Bergen. Her training is in medicine, social science and epidemiology. She has extensive experience with population registers and register-based research. She will advise on all aspects of research at CEDI, with special emphasis on register-based research and trans-Nordic collaborations.

Donating to KI

To make a donation to our centre, click here and follow these simple steps:

1. Click “Make a Donation”
2. On the drop down menu for “Where would you like your donation to be directed”, Choose: Medical Research
3. In the “My greetings” box, type CEDI