Sophia Bi

11/22/15

Is it ALL in your head? Anorexia Nervosa and Its Relationship to Blood

I.

Research Question
The research question proposed is among individuals suffering from anorexia
nervosa, how will the mental illness affect the protein content of the blood of the patient?
This question will help lead to better treatments, specifically better medications to speed
up the process of recovery among anorexics.
II.

Overview of Research
The specific area of study will be in blood content, proteins, and anorexia
nervosa. There will be a strong focus on proteins and anorexia and how an anorexic
patient experiences significant changes in his or her blood. Different types of proteins
will be researched to determine its specific impact on the body and how anorexia
nervosa has caused a change to that protein.
The research that will be used will be first hand laboratory data, medical journals,
research articles, and medical textbooks. The data will be taken during the actual
experiment, while medical journals, research articles, and medical textbooks will provide
key background information that can link anorexia nervosa to changes in the blood.
Along with these sources, many people of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Department at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are accessible to help and discuss
research and information.
The real problem in todays society that is related to this topic is that individuals
suffering from anorexia nervosa often have to undergo long, tedious, and tiring
treatments that include being hospitalized, therapy sessions, certain diets, and more. With
a medication to perhaps create a quicker path to recovery, an individual will spend less
time and money on his or her recovery from anorexia nervosa.
III.

Primary Research Methodology

The research methodology that will be used to answer the research question will
be experimental. The data will be collected from a laboratory after several experiments,
and the data will be analyzed to determine results. The experiment will involve different
chemicals, protein buffers, and rats. The rats will be put through several different
experiments and trials in order to determine the most accurate results.
Both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and analyzed. The
quantitative data will be collected through the numeric results of the experiment such as
the number of protein clots, the weight of the rats, and the numeric change in protein
content. The qualitative data will involve physical observation of the rats after they go
through the experimentsbehavioral differences and changes in appearance will also be
noted. All quantitative and qualitative data will be written down in a lab notebook.
IV.

Significance of Research
The proposed problem is important because anorexia is the most deadly mental
illness, with the highest mortality rate. It is crucial to cure this illness or find a better
treatment for it. The intended audience is pharmaceutical companies, other scientists in

this field, anorexic patients and families who are affected by anorexia and have to go
through long financial stress to fight this illness. This project will benefit the
pharmaceutical companies and scientists because they can use the research to come to
even better conclusions and make a medication or develop a treatment that will affect
those with anorexia and further the information in the field. This will help those affect by
anorexia both indirectly and directly because if a medication can be found, the recovery
process from anorexia nervosa can be quicker and save families and those affected by the
disease time and money. It will also save those suffering from the disease by helping
them recover faster.
V.

Product Overview

The product that will best communicate this research is a published article in a
scientific or medical journal. This article will communicate the findings and the
conclusions from the research. Since the data is both quantitative and qualitative, an
article published in a scientific journal will target the audience for their best
understanding.