About this Webinar:
Anorexia nervosa is a complex illness, and everyone’s experience of it is a bit different. At the same time, there is one behavior that is central to the illness: persistent, maladaptive food restriction. In recent years, there has been a lot of progress in understanding the neuroscience of this illness. For example, we now know that when someone with anorexia nervosa decides what to eat, they are using a different part of the brain than someone without anorexia nervosa. More specifically, dietary restriction is particularly associated with a brain region called the striatum. This part of the brain is involved in habits – a neurobiological basis for stuck behaviors. This may help explain why food restriction in anorexia nervosa is so hard to change. Over time, and repetition, the brain becomes wired to respond to cues and rules around food. This pattern shows up in both adolescents and adults, and it helps explain why anorexia nervosa can be so persistent even when someone genuinely wants to recover. The good news is that understanding the brain's role in this illness is opening doors to better treatments. When we stop seeing food restriction as willful behavior and start seeing it as something the brain has learned to do automatically, it changes how we approach care — and gives researchers a clearer target for developing new ways to help.
Guest Bio:
Joanna Steinglass, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Co-Director of the Eating Disorders Center for Research and Treatment at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Steinglass graduated from Amherst College and Harvard Medical School. She completed her psychiatry training at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute and joined the Eating Disorders Research Clinic in 2003. Dr. Steinglass also serves as Training Co-Director of the Eating Disorders T32 Research Fellowship, and Program Director in Substance Use & Behavioral Health. Dr. Steinglass’ research investigates Anorexia Nervosa through study of the neural mechanisms of illness and the development of mechanism-based treatments. She conducts interdisciplinary research that uses tools from cognitive and computational neuroscience to apply the latest understanding of the healthy brain to research on Anorexia Nervosa. She applies these insights to the development of behavioral, neuromodulatory, and pharmacological interventions.
Date: Wednesday, September 9th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM Pacific / 12:00 PM Eastern / 5:00 PM UK
Location: Zoom Platform
United States
Register below: