Brain Activation and Satiety in Children 2 (BASIC2)

Brain Systems and Behaviors Underlying Response to Obesity Treatment in Children

Childhood obesity and related long-term effects are serious public health problems, but not all children with obesity do well in treatment. This study will test a new combination of family-based behavioral treatment (FBT) with a drug intervention using a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) exenatide once weekly extended-release (ExQW, Bydureon®) in order to improve obesity intervention outcomes in 10-12-year-old children.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Childhood Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Family Based Behavioral Treatment; Drug: Exenatide 2 mg [Bydureon]; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Using functional and structural magnetic resonance neuroimaging, this study will evaluate brain factors which could undermine treatment responses and long-term obesity intervention outcomes. Specific Aim 1 will test the effect of adding ExQW to FBT on change in BMI z-score over a total GLP-1RA treatment duration of 24 weeks and a subsequent 1-year observational follow-up period after treatment cessation. To provide mechanistic insight, Specific Aim 2 will test whether adding GLP-1RA intervention to FBT impacts neural activation by food cues. Finally, the proposed research will investigate the role of a cellular inflammatory process in the mediobasal hypothalamus-called gliosis-which might contribute to impaired hypothalamic function, attenuated satiety responsiveness, and potentially to worse weight management outcomes. Specific Aim 3 will test if hypothalamic gliosis is modified by FBT and/or FBT plus GLP-1RA in children and if its extent is related to immediate and/or long-term intervention outcomes.

Study Design: This double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled research study uses fMRI to characterize neural responses to a test meal before and at the end of FBT intervention, with vs. without additional GLP-1RA intervention. In addition, it uses structural MRI (sMRI) to test if MBH gliosis is reversible and/or associated with intervention outcomes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 63
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98105
      • Seattle Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 12 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 10-12 years of age
• Male or female
• Ability and willingness to participate in study visits including fMRI scans, blood draws, and weekly injections;
• Parent willing to provide informed written consent and child willing to provide written assent;
• Child has BMI z-score >95th percentile. for age and sex;
• One parent that is obese or overweight (BMI >27 kg/m2); willingness of 1 parent (does not have to be the parent with obesity) to engage in weekly family-based weight control treatment delivered in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of acute or chronic serious medical conditions;
• known diabetes mellitus or recent (6 mo.) history of anemia;
• Presence of any implanted metal or metal devices, including ferro-metallic surgical clips or orthodontic braces;
• Claustrophobia;
• Documented cognitive disorder, disruptive behavior, inability to participate in group sessions;
• Current use of medications known to alter appetite, body weight, or brain response
• Food intolerance to test meal (macaroni and cheese) or vegetarianism/veganism or severe food allergies.
• Known renal impairment (GFR<60 ml/min/1.73m2)
• History of gastroparesis, pancreatitis or gallstones (unless status post cholecystectomy);
• Family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 or familial medullary thyroid carcinoma;
• Known elevated calcitonin level at phone screening or increased measured calcitonin level at study visits;
• Untreated thyroid disorder or adrenal insufficiency;
• Use of weight loss medications (child participant) within 3 months of screening visit.
• Participating parent is pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Exenatide once weekly extended-release; Weekly subcutaneous injections of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 agonist exenatide once weekly extended-release (2mg) for 24 weeks in randomized intervention.	Behavioral: Family Based Behavioral Treatment; Children with obesity accompanied by at least one parent or caregiver will attend 24 weekly sessions. Most sessions will be held via video-conference and include 25-30 min. meetings between an interventionist and each child/parent pair to individualize treatment, followed by separate child and parent group meetings lasting 40 - 45 min. A select few sessions will be held in-person between an interventionist and each child/parent pair with no group session. Parents will serve as primary agents of change for their child and for themselves. Training will focus on food and physical activity education, parenting around food and physical activity, and use of behavioral skills (e.g., self-monitoring, environmental control, contingency management). Intervention groups of 8-12 children/families will be initiated every 3-6 mos. in study yrs. 2-3.; Drug: Exenatide 2 mg [Bydureon]; Weekly injections of active drug.; Other Names: Bydureon®
Placebo Comparator: Matching placebo; Weekly subcutaneous injections of placebo for 24 weeks.	Behavioral: Family Based Behavioral Treatment; Children with obesity accompanied by at least one parent or caregiver will attend 24 weekly sessions. Most sessions will be held via video-conference and include 25-30 min. meetings between an interventionist and each child/parent pair to individualize treatment, followed by separate child and parent group meetings lasting 40 - 45 min. A select few sessions will be held in-person between an interventionist and each child/parent pair with no group session. Parents will serve as primary agents of change for their child and for themselves. Training will focus on food and physical activity education, parenting around food and physical activity, and use of behavioral skills (e.g., self-monitoring, environmental control, contingency management). Intervention groups of 8-12 children/families will be initiated every 3-6 mos. in study yrs. 2-3.; Drug: Placebo; Weekly placebo injections

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change of BMI z-score	Body mass index (BMI) z-scores will be derived using CDC growth charts, using the LMS method, to allow for comparison of adiposity over time and across children who differ in age and sex.	Change from drug treatment randomization at week 8 of family-based behavioral treatment (FBT) to end of combined intervention (FBT + drug) at week 24 of FBT

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
BMI z-score	Change of body mass index (BMI) z-scores derived using CDC growth charts, using the LMS method, to allow for comparison of adiposity over time and across children who differ in age and sex.	Up to 12-months after ending treatment
Body composition	Changes in body composition as assessed using a bioelectrical impedance (BIA)	Change from Baseline to post-Family Based Behavioral Treatment at week 24 and post drug-treatment at week 32
Indices of metabolic syndrome	Changes of insulin resistance assessed by fasting insulin used for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) using the formula insulin [mU/l] x glucose [mmol/l]) / 22.5	Change from Baseline to post-Family Based Behavioral Treatment at week 24
Meal induced chances in brain activation to visual food cues	Change of brain response to visual food cues measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in a priori regions of interest	Change from Baseline to post-Family Based Behavioral Treatment at week 24

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Seattle Children's Hospital
• Collaborators: University of Washington

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 28, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 21, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 12, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 31, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 17, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): August 20, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 31, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Overweight; Obesity; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pediatric Obesity; Peptides; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Biological Factors; Complex Mixtures; Toxins, Biological; Venoms; Exenatide
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00001984

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