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Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

Anorexia nervosa is one of the most severe psychiatric disorders, with the highest mortality rate among mental illnesses. Young individuals often face a lonely struggle with overwhelming thoughts about weight, appearance, and strict rules around food and exercise. These symptoms impact physical health and daily functioning, placing strain on families, friendships, and school or work participation. The illness typically lasts about four years, though some struggle lifelong.
Early detection improves treatment outcomes, but early indicators are unclear, and symptoms often go unnoticed, complicating timely intervention. Clinicians also cannot predict how long the illness will last, underscoring the need for insight into predictive factors.
My research consists of two parts.
The first examined the relationship between eating disorder symptoms and brain function in children. Findings show that low BMI is linked to smaller brain volumes and thinner cortex, with both low and high BMI associated with reduced brain gyrification. Girls showed more associations than boys, reflecting known sex differences in anorexia prevalence. Early executive function difficulties, especially in girls, predicted restrictive eating and lower BMI later in childhood.
The second part focused on predicting treatment outcomes in anorexia nervosa. A systematic review showed altered brain volumes across multiple regions. The BRAVE study further examines predictors of treatment response and symptom change in girls and young women (12–22 years). Notably, those included during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a less favorable treatment course, despite similar symptom severity.