Emotion Regulation in Binge Eating and Purging Among Adolescents

Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation and Executive Function in Binge Eating and Purging Among Adolescents

The study will examine the neural and behavioral correlates of emotion regulation in adolescents engaging in binge eating and/or purging and healthy adolescents. Furthermore, it will look at the influence of executive function on emotion regulation in this population. This study will allow us to gain further understanding of the neural basis of emotion regulation in this age group. Moreover, this study supports the need to develop new treatment approaches based on a better understanding of the brain processes associated with eating disorders.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Binge Eating; Purging (Eating Disorders)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Magnetic resonance imaging

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 47

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
      • Stanford University, Department of Psychiatry

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Female adolescents between ages 14-18.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Ages 14-18
• with or without current binge eating and/or purging behaviors

Exclusion Criteria:

We exclude patients of clinically significant low weight (<85% ideal body weight using CDC norms for height, age, and gender) and those with contraindications for MRI (e.g., orthodontia, metallic implants). Participants also will be without evidence of current or past major neurological (e.g., seizures, psychosis, head trauma) or major sensory deficit.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Binge eating/purging; Adolescents engaging in recurrent binge eating and/or purging behavior.	Other: Magnetic resonance imaging; We will conduct MRI and fMRI brain scans to compare brain function between groups.
Healthy comparison; Adolescents who do not have a history of eating disorders	Other: Magnetic resonance imaging; We will conduct MRI and fMRI brain scans to compare brain function between groups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brain activity during emotion conflict	Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used to measure brain activity during a task where participants respond to images of faces with emotional expressions overlaid with an emotion word written in text. We will focus on brain response during this task when emotion face vs word are in conflict.	Baseline
Brain activity during emotion regulation	Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used to measure brain activity during a task where participants attempt to regulate emotional responses.	Baseline
Brain activity during cognitive control and emotion response	Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used to measure brain activity during a task where participants engage in cognitive control and respond to emotional stimuli.	Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Behavioral performance on emotion conflict task	Response times will be used as behavioral measure on the emotion conflict task	Baseline
Behavioral performance on emotion regulation task	Emotion ratings will be used as behavioral measure on the emotion regulation task	Baseline
Behavioral performance on cognitive control and emotion regulation task	Emotion ratings will be used as behavioral measure on the cognitive control and emotion regulation task	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Stanford University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 15, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 2, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 8, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): February 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 6, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2022
• Last Verified: December 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Hyperphagia; Bulimia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Binge-Eating Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 40075

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No