White matter differences in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A systematic review protocol

Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychiatric disorder that most commonly emerges during adolescence and is associated with substantial medical, cognitive, and psychosocial consequences. Neuroimaging research has increasingly sought to characterize brain-based differences associated with anorexia nervosa, with growing interest in white matter structure given its critical role in brain development and cognitive functioning during adolescence. Although numerous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have examined white matter differences in adolescents with anorexia nervosa, findings have not yet been systematically synthesized. The present systematic review aims to synthesize available MRI studies examining white matter differences in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. To our knowledge, no previously registered systematic review protocols have focused specifically on white matter differences in adolescents with anorexia nervosa.