An fMRI Study of Self-regulation in Adolescents With Bulimia Nervosa

New York State Psychiatric Institute

Status

Completed

Conditions

Eating Disorders

Treatments

Behavioral: Neuropsychological Testing

Other: MRI

Study type

Observational

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00345943

DDTR M2-MBB

R01MH090062 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

#5606R/6679R

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this project is to use both multimodal MRI and behavioral measures to investigate how changes in frontostriatal neural systems contribute to the development and persistence of Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Findings from this study will have wide-ranging importance for our understanding of the development and treatment of BN.

Full description

Patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) have difficulty regulating impulsive behaviors as suggested by their binge-eating and purging, as well as the high incidence of drug abuse and shoplifting in this population. Understanding dysfunction in the frontostriatal circuitry that mediates self-regulatory control processes will aid development of new therapeutics for the impulsivity associated with BN. We are conducting a longitudinal study to better understand the development and persistence of BN.

Participation in this study includes 4 sections: Neuropsychological Tests, Diagnostic interviews, Pregnancy Test, and MRI scan. All efforts are made to coordinate procedures into one day, and they require between 4 and 5 hours of the participant's time. The option of splitting participation into two study days is also offered for participants who find it more convenient. Participants are compensated with $100 in the form of a check, which is mailed to their home address. Participants will be invited back for follow-up visits.

Enrollment

71 patients

Sex

Female

Ages

12 to 17 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Current or prior DSM IV diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa or Sub-threshold Bulimia Nervosa (those who meet all DSM-IV criteria for BN, but engage in subjective binge-eating episodes and binge/purge at a frequency of at least once per week for 3 months, whereas meeting full DSM-IV criteria for BN requires binge eating and purging twice per week for 3 months)
Major Depression
For control adolescents, no current or past history of an eating disorder

Exclusion criteria

Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker)
Metal braces or retainers
IQ less than 80
Any other current major Axis I disorder, other than major depressive disorder (MDD)
History of concussion, seizure disorder, or other neurological illness
Claustrophobia
Pregnant