Food Intake and the Adolescent Brain

NCT04208256 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 19-1171K01DK120562
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 63
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The brain plays an integral role in how and what people eat. However, the brain's contribution to overeating is not well understood during sensitive developmental periods such as adolescence, when excessive weight gain and obesity prevalence are a significant concern.The proposed study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how the brain's response to excess energy is related to overeating in adolescents with and without obesity.

Conditions

Feeding Behavior; Brain; Adolescent

Keywords

pediatric obesity; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; disinhibited eating behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Brain function

  Brain function will be quantified via the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the hypothalamus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and superior and inferior frontal gyri, and connectivity between these brain regions.

  brain imaging visit 1 (study visit 1); 30 minutes

• Disinhibited eating behavior

  Disinhibited eating behavior will be quantified via the kilocalories consumed during the test meal phase of the Eating in the Absence of Hunger laboratory protocol.

  study visit 2; 1.5 hours

Study Arms (2)

Energy Neutral

Bottled water (300 ml) with added fruit punch-flavored non-nutritive sweetener (aspartame) will be used as the energy neutral stimulus.

Dietary Supplement: Energy Stimulus

Energy Surplus

300ml fruit punch-flavored Glucola (75-gram\[g\], Azer Scientific) will be used as the energy surplus stimulus.

Dietary Supplement: Energy Stimulus

Interventions

Energy Stimulus DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Energy stimulus (energy surplus v. energy neutral) will be randomly assigned at the first brain imaging visit. At the second brain imaging visit, the participant will receive the alternate stimulus from what they received at the first brain imaging visit.

Also known as: aspartame, Glucola, glucose

Energy Neutral; Energy Surplus

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adolescents with severe obesity enrolled from a specialty care lifesstyle medicine clinic and from the surrounding community. Adolescents with healthy weight enrolled from primary care clinic and from teh surrounding community.

You may qualify if:

• male or female
• years-old
• resident of Colorado

You may not qualify if:

• weigh less than 88 pounds or have a BMI% rank of \<10% for age and sex;
• have a physician's diagnosis of metabolic syndrome or diabetes (Type 1 or 2);
• have a physician's diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa;
• currently taking anti-psychotic medications (not including anti-depressant or anti- anxiety medications);
• have a non-MRI safe device (e.g. pacemaker or defibrillator) or metal in the body (e.g. metal pins, shrapnel);
• experience symptoms of claustrophobia when in small or closed-off places;
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Colorado, Denver: lead
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Colorado

Aurora, Colorado, 80045, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Feeding Behavior; Pediatric Obesity

Interventions

Aspartame; Glucola; Glucose

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior, Animal; Behavior; Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Dipeptides; Oligopeptides; Peptides; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Hexoses; Monosaccharides; Sugars; Carbohydrates

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2019
• First Posted: December 23, 2019
• Study Start: December 30, 2019
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2024
• Study Completion: September 30, 2024
• Last Updated: June 8, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)