Medical Monday: Bulimia and Teen Sex

Bulimia and the Brain

Researchers have revealed that specific circuits in the brain play a role in the development of bulimia.

Experts at Columbia University performed cognitive tests on 20 women with bulimia and compared them to 20 women without the disorder.

All women underwent brain scans during the study.

They found women with bulimia were less likely to use circuits in the brain that control voluntary behaviors.

Experts say the inability to regulate their actions may contribute to binge-eating behavior.


Teens Posting Risky Behaviour

Over half of teens with a social networking web-page post information about their risky behavior; that's according to a new report.

Researchers at the University of Washington studied the content of 500 teenage profiles on social networking websites, like Myspace.

They found 24 percent mentioned sexual behaviors, 41 percent referenced substance use, and 37 percent reported alcohol use.

Experts say posting this information could attract attention from sexual predators, or jeopardize future employment.

Researchers sent an email to some of the teens warning them their profile contained risky information.

Three months after the email nearly half had made protective changes to their webpage.