Eating Disorders clinical trials at University of California Health
4 in progress, 1 open to eligible people
Response to Acute Exercise in Eating Disorders
open to eligible females ages 16-25
Individuals with eating disorders (ED) represent a high-priority clinical population, with among the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder, and driven exercise (DEx) is a symptom evidenced in up to 80% of those with EDs that increases impairment and negatively impacts treatment outcome. This study will develop tasks to characterize cognitive, affective, and biological response to exercise among adolescent and young adult females with EDs and determine whether acute exercise response associates with free-living activity and DEx. This R21 project will provide foundational data to guide research and development of treatments that are more precisely targeted to the symptom of driven exercise and to ultimately improve clinical outcomes associated with EDs.
at UCSF
Negative Affect in Individuals With Binge Eating Episodes
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
Binge-eating is characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of - typically high calorie - foods, eating much more rapidly than normal and until feeling uncomfortably full, as well as feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or guilty after those episodes. Two eating disorders are characterized by binge-eating as central diagnostic criteria, binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Binge-eating episodes in BN, but not BED, are typically followed by compensatory mechanisms such as self-induced vomiting, and BED is typically associated with obesity, while BN is not. Behavior studies such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research of affect in an individual's naturalistic environment have shown that negative affect and negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed) often precede binge-eating. The Investigators want to answer the following questions: Can negative affect in BN and BED be linked to 1) altered dopamine related brain reinforcement learning, 2) to food value computation and cognitive control circuit function, and 3) can dopamine related brain activation predict eating and negative affect, indicating a brain based neurobiological vulnerability. Answering those questions will help to define binge-eating based on regulation of brain reward, cognition, and emotion circuit function and point toward potential psychopharmacological interventions to normalize brain function and behavior.
at UCSD
Brain Function in Adolescent Eating Disorders and Healthy Peers
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
This study of adolescent eating disorders (ED) will examine the association of temperament-based classifications, brain activation during incentive processing, and ED symptoms at time of scan and 1 year later to better understand the neurobiology and symptoms of ED. We will recruit 150 females currently ill with an ED and 50 controls ages 14-17 to investigate how temperaments reflecting greater inhibition, impulsivity, or effortful control correspond to 1) clinical symptoms and 2) the brain's response to anticipation and outcome of salient stimuli, and 3) by collecting follow-up clinical data one year later, identify how temperament-based subtypes predict ED symptom change (e.g., clinical prediction). Data collection will rely on a technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
at UCSD
Latent Structure of Multi-level Assessments and Predictors of Outcomes for Women in Recovery
Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients
In this study the investigators will seek to improve their understanding of how positive and negative valence systems, cognition, and arousal/interoception are inter-related in disorders of trauma, mood, substance use, and eating behavior for women involved in a court diversion program in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Women in Recovery). The investigators will recruit 100 individuals and use a wide range of assessment tools, neuroimaging measures, blood and microbiome collections and behavioral tasks to complete the baseline and follow-up study visits. Upon completion, the investigators aim to have robust and reliable dimensional measures that quantify these systems and a set of assessments that should be recommended as a clinical tool to enhance outcome prediction for the clinician and assist in determining who will likely benefit from the diversion program, and to inform future revision or augmentation of the program to increase treatment effectiveness.
at UCSD
Our lead scientists for Eating Disorders research studies include Guido KW Frank, MD Christina Wierenga Sasha Gorrell, PhD.
Last updated: