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Incentive Processing and Learning in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Key facts

Who runs it
University of California, San Diego
Where
La Jolla, United StatesSee the site
Trial code
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
252 people, planned
Started
26 May 2022
Expected to end
Jan 2027
Type of study
Observational, 4 groups
Record updated
28 April 2026

Who can take part

Age
18 years to 39 years
Sex
Women only
Healthy volunteers
Can take part

The registry criteria, word for word

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Who can take part

  • Eating Disorder Group:
  • Between the ages of 18 and 39 years old
  • Meet DSM-V criteria for AN-R, AN-BP, or BN; Healthy Control Group:
  • Between the ages of 18 and 39 years old
  • Have maintained 85% to 120% ideal body weight since menarche

Who cannot take part

  • Current dependence on drugs or alcohol defined by DSM IV criteria. Additionally, positive test results for drug use on the day of the scan, apart of marijuana, will result in cancelling or rescheduling the scan because acute use will impact MRI measures
  • Primary obsessive compulsive disorder or primary major depressive disorder; Additional Exclusion Criteria for ED Group:; -If taking other psychotropic medication, any change in dosage in the 2 weeks before scanning; Additional Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Control Group:
  • Use of any psychoactive or other medication known to affect mood or concentration in the last 3 months
  • Psychotic illness/other mental illness requiring hospitalization
  • Physical conditions (e.g. diabetes mellitus, pregnancy) known to influence eating or weight
  • Neurological disorder, neurodevelopmental disorder, or history of head injury with >30 min loss of consciousness
  • Meet criteria for the diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder currently
  • Any history of binge eating or purging behaviors, including self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic misuse
  • All Groups:
  • Any contraindication to undergoing an MRI

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 39 years old?

Where in United States

  • UCSD Eating Disorders Treatment and Research ProgramLa Jolla, United StatesContact: Megan MartinhoTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The purpose of this study is to investigate areas of the brain responsible for 'liking', 'wanting', and learning in adults with eating disorders using brain imaging techniques, computer tasks, a test meal, and self-report questionnaires and interviews. The investigators will study changes in brain activity using a procedure called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This study will include 252 women with an eating disorder (63 AN-restricting type (AN-R), 63 AN-binge eating/purging type (AN-BP), 63 bulimia nervosa (BN)) and 63 healthy controls (HC) aged 18-39.

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Aim 1: To examine neural differences in 'liking' and 'wanting' in ED relative to HC.

Aim 2: To examine differences in instrumental learning for reward and punishment in ED relative to HC.

Aim 3: To examine how 'liking' and 'wanting' drive instrumental learning in ED and predict clinical symptoms at baseline and 1 year later.

Exploratory Aim: To explore the associations of dopamine function, as measured by neuromelanin MRI (NM-MRI), with ED diagnosis and brain response to 'liking', 'wanting', and learning.

The 4 groups in the trial

  • AN-R

    Participants that meet Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) criteria for Anorexia Nervosa restricting subtype.

  • AN-BP

    Participants that meet DSM-V criteria for Anorexia Nervosa binging/purging subtype

  • BN

    Participants that meet DSM-V criteria for Bulimia Nervosa.

  • Healthy Controls

    Participants that do not meet DSM-V criteria for any disorder.

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Fit questions
Built from NCT05056597, who can take part
Record updated
28 April 2026