NCT07638059Not yet recruiting
The Influence of Obesity and Insulin Sensitivity on Reward Processing and Decision Making
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 25 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Reward learning and decision-making processes, which operate largely outside of conscious control, shape food choices and eating behaviors. Excess adiposity is associated with differences in brain structure and functional connectivity underlying these processes, and insulin resistance, which commonly co-occurs with excess adiposity, has been linked with dopamine signaling that is crucial for these processes. However, whether and how excess adiposity and insulin resistance affect reward learning and decision-making remains poorly understood. This study will address that gap, examining the effects of excess adiposity and insulin resistance, and their interaction, on processes of reward learning and decision-making in food-specific and general contexts.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 50 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 28 May 2026
- Start date
- 1 Sept 2026
- Primary completion date
- 1 Jul 2029
- Lead sponsor
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Diseases
- Obesity
- NCT number
- NCT07638059
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 50
- From 1 Sept 2026 to the primary completion date, 1 Jul 2029
- No sites listed in no country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Self-reported use of medications known to influence study measures (including antiglycemic agents, thyroid medications, etc.)
- Contraindications to MRI, including pacemaker, aneurysm clip, neurostimulator, cochlear implant, metal in eyes, steel worker, other implants
- Self-reported previous metabolic/weight loss surgery
Other illness
- Self-reported current diagnosis of diabetes or other endocrine/metabolic disorder
- Self-reported history of alcohol dependence
- Self-reported neurological or psychological disorder
- Self-reported history of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness for more than 10 minutes
- Self-reported allergy to ingredient used in the study drinks
Lab values
- Hemoglobin A1c \> 6.4%
- Fasting blood glucose \> 126 mg/dL
- 2-hour blood glucose \> 200 mg/dL
Other
- BMI \< 18.5 or \> 40 kg/m2
- Self-reported current inhaled nicotine use
- Self-reported claustrophobia or discomfort with mock fMRI training
- Self-reported adherence to special or restrictive diet within the past 3 months (e.g., low-carb, ketogenic, exclusion of food groups/specific macronutrients, etc.)
Who the study is looking for
- 18 to 45 years of age
- Self-reported weight stable (within 5 lbs) for previous 3 months
- Not pregnant or planning to become pregnant during study participation
- Weigh more than 110 lbs (due to blood draws used in study)
- Residing in Roanoke, VA, area and/or willing to attend sessions at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
Age in the registry: 18 years to 45 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.