Research Recruitment

 

BrainEx Study

 

We are trying to learn if anorexia is linked to changes in the brain that impact decision-making. By studying young people with and without anorexia, we can learn more about decision-making and brain activity. This could lead to better treatments for people with anorexia.

 We are recruiting teens (ages 14-18) with anorexia nervosa OR with no history of an eating disorder or current psychiatric disorder to participate in a neuroimaging study.

Participants will be randomly selected to attend either one or two in-person study visits at UCSF Mission Bay. 

During your first visit, you will:

  • Have a short interview with the study team.
  • Complete two computer tasks and other questionnaires.

Participants who are randomized to a second study visit will undergo an fMRI scan.

You can receive a $150 gift card for taking part in the study.

TMS Treatment Study

 

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is being studied as a treatment for anorexia nervosa.  It involves non-invasive electromagnetic brain stimulation at the orbitofrontal cortex.  TMS is also regularly used to treat other neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Both anorexia nervosa and OCD are characterized by the propensity toward cognitive inflexibility.  Since TMS is an effective FDA-cleared treatment for OCD, the researchers believe that it may also be an effective treatment for anorexia nervosa.   

There are two groups for this study that each have a separate purpose.

The purpose of the first group (ages 14 – 45) is to evaluate long-term changes in the brain specific to habit-directed networks in participants with anorexia nerovsa.  Participants in this group will undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at least 5 times over a 10-month period. Participants in this first group will not receive rTMS treatment.  

The purpose of the second group (ages 18 - 45) is to determine if rTMS is effective in treating anorexia nervosa. Participants in this group will receive rTMS treatment for 10 days (2 consecutive weeks).  Each day will involve 5 rTMS treatments and will require approximately 5 hours. Participants in this group will also undergo fMRI before the first TMS treatment and after the final TMS treatment. If meeting age criteria, individuals may participate in both arms of the study.

MAXED Study

 

The goal of this study is to better understand driven exercise in those with eating disorder symptoms and characterize differences in cognitive, affective, and biological response to exercise among adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. This research is to provide better understanding of exercise response among those with eating disorder symptoms in order to develop better exercise-based interventions.

We are recruiting medically stable female participants (ages 16-22) with symptoms of disordered eating OR no history of disordered eating.

Participants will be asked to exercise, take part in a food challenge, and wear an activity tracker (no display screen) for 8 days. They will meet with research staff for a screening visit and three separate task visits, as well as complete at-home questionnaires.

Participants can earn up to $200 for participating!