Emotion Regulation in Binge Eating and Purging Among Adolescents

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

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

Conditions
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Binge Eating, Purging (Eating Disorders)

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Magnetic resonance imaging


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 14 Years
Maximum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

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

What is the study measuring?
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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 |