Functional MRI of Stress in Obesity

Yale University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01719484

0805003899

Details and patient eligibility

About

To examine the influence of obesity on brain activation during food cue, stress, and neutral relaxing conditions

Full description

Subjects will participate in an fMRI session to examine changes in frontal and limbic brain regions with food cues, stress and neutral/relaxing imagery

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Between ages 18-50 years old.
2. Able to read and write.
3. negative urine toxicology screens during intake appointments indicating no history of current or past dependence on alcohol or illicit drug use.
4. WOMEN: have a regular menstrual cycle.
5. BMI: 30 < BMI < 35 for obese subjects (upper limit of 35 selected given our experience with heavier individuals fitting comfortably in the fMRI scanner) and 18.5 < BMI <25 for normal weight subjects (Institute, 2006)

Exclusion criteria

1. any major neurological illness or injury and any current or prior clinically significant mental health (including PTSD) or substance use disorder (with exception of nicotine dependence) as determined by SCID interview;
2. Regular use of any psychoactive drugs including anxiolytics and antidepressants.
3. Any significant current medical condition such as neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, renal, liver, thyroid pathology; subjects on medications for any medical condition will be excluded.
4. Any subjects with foreign ferromagnetic metal objects in their body or other MR contraindications will be excluded including subjects who work as welders.
5. Women on oral contraceptives, peri- and post-menopausal women, and pregnant or lactating women (as alterations in stress response are associated with these states).

Trial design

50 participants in 2 patient groups

Healthy

Description:

Subjects deemed to be medically healthy

Obese

Description:

Subjects deemed to be medically obese