Neurobiological and Psychological Maintenance Mechanisms Associated With Anticipatory Reward in Bulimia Nervosa

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · Jun 1, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how certain brain and psychological processes related to reward may contribute to the behaviors seen in bulimia nervosa, which includes binge eating and purging. Researchers want to understand what happens in the brain when someone with bulimia anticipates these behaviors, both in a lab setting and in their everyday life. The goal is to learn more about the mechanisms that keep these behaviors going, which could help in developing better treatments.

The trial is currently looking for participants aged between 18 and 65 who are right-handed and can read and speak English. To be eligible for the bulimia nervosa group, individuals must have a diagnosis of bulimia and experience regular binge eating and purging. Healthy controls are also needed, and they should not have any history of eating disorders or binge eating in the last three months. Participants can expect to undergo brain scans and take part in discussions about their experiences. It's important to note that those with certain medical conditions, a history of severe mental illness, or who have had gastric bypass surgery are not eligible to participate.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• Bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy control (HC) groups:
• • Right-handed
• • Ability to read and speak in English
• BN group only:
• • Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) diagnosis of BN (i.e., at least one objective bulimic episode and one self-induced vomiting episode per week for at three months) with binge episodes always accompanied by self-induced vomiting
• • Stable dose for at least 6 weeks of any recent changes in medication impacting mood, appetite, or weight
• HC group only:
• • No binge eating or purging episodes for the past three months on the EDE
• • No current or past history of an eating disorder as diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of gastric bypass surgery
• • Medical condition acutely affecting eating behavior and/or weight (i.e., pregnancy, lactation, thyroid disease)
• • Current medical or psychiatric instability (i.e., hospitalization required in the past three months)
• • Lifetime history of psychosis or bipolar disorder
• • History of neurological disorder or injury (i.e., stoke, head injury with \>10 minutes loss of consciousness)
• • Current substance use disorder
• • BMI less than 19 kg/m\^2
• • Acute suicidality requiring hospitalization
• • fMRI exclusions as specifiedd by the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research
• • Food allergy that cannot be accommodated through substitutions to the laboratory test snack