The occurrence of a transient neurogenic stutter in a male anorexic patient is described. The stutter developed following a prolonged period of starvation, and during refeeding the patient recovered from the stuttering behavior. The patient was not receiving any drugs known to cause stuttering, and it is postulated that the stutter developed as a result of the gross impairment of brain function secondary to chronic starvation. A review of the literature has failed to reveal any information on anorexia nervosa as a cause of neurogenic (acquired) stuttering. © 1993 by lohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.

We would like to point out a preliminary study which investigated the effects of cholesterol-reducing agents on the serotonin-related behaviour in vivo (Dursun, 1992). Rather high doses of cholesterol-lowering agents, gemfibrozil and cholestyramine, both significantly blocked the inhibitory action of a serotonin-lA receptor agonist ligand on the serotonin-2 receptor mediated-behavioural response (head-shakes), while gemfibrozil significantly potentiated this behavioural response and cholestyramine showed a trend towards potentiation of the same behaviourin rodents (signifi cantly low plasma cholesterol levels compared with control animals have been confirmed by biochemical studies after behavioural studies) (Dursun, 1992). These preliminary results show that cholesterol lowering agents can indeed alter both serotonin-2 receptor-mediated behaviour and a serotonin-1A/ serotonin-2 receptor interaction in vivo. Therefore, alterations of the functional state of the serotonin receptor subtypes and their interactions by the cholesterol-lowering agents may be implicated in understanding the involvement of serotonin in the relationship between low serum cholesterol and suicidal behaviour. However, further precliical and clinical research is needed to understand the mechanisms of this relationship.