Biasing Food Value Construction

NCT07692945 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: IRB23-1659R01MH132792
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 150
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether food value construction can be biased in individuals with anorexia nervosa. The main question it aims to answer is: Can a simple training task increase the importance of relevant food attributes such that subsequent choices about what to eat in individuals with anorexia nervosa will look more like those of healthy eaters? Participants will undergo a simple training paradigm where they view food items and focus on different attributes (e.g., its tastiness or healthiness). Participants will then be asked to make decisions about what foods they'd like to eat.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Decision Weight for Tastiness vs. Healthiness Attributes in Food Choice

  Food choice will be assessed using a binary choice task in which participants choose between pairs of food items that vary on healthiness, tastiness, savoriness, and overall preference. Choice data will be modeled using mixed-effects logistic regression, with delta-healthiness (difference in healthiness rating between paired items) and delta-tastiness (difference in tastiness rating) entered as predictors of choice. The parameter of interest is the regression coefficient (beta weight) for delta-tastiness relative to delta-healthiness, reflecting the degree to which choice is driven by tastiness versus healthiness attributes. We predict that tastiness beta weight will increase pre- to post-training in patients with AN.

  Immediately prior to and immediately following the training session (pre- and post-assessments, approximately 1 hour apart on the same day)

Study Arms (2)

Anorexia Nervosa

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will meet diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa.

Behavioral: Training food attributes

Healthy Control

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will not meet diagnostic criteria for any psychiatric illness.

Behavioral: Training food attributes

Interventions

Training food attributes BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view images of foods and asked to focus on different attributes of the food (e.g., its healthiness or tastiness)

Anorexia Nervosa; Healthy Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• aged 16-35 years
• male or female
• able to read and speak English

You may not qualify if:

• history of concussion or neurological disease
• full scale IQ estimate \< 80;
• taking medication that has been shown to affect attention or learning (i.e., second generation antipsychotics, memantine, methylphenidate, or modafinil)
• current psychosis, bipolar disorder, or substance dependence
• body mass index \< 14
• vital sign or laboratory abnormalities indicating medical instability

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chicago: lead
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Akram Bakkour

CONTACT

773-702-9574; bakkour@uchicago.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 26, 2026
• First Posted: July 9, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2028
• Last Updated: July 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

US (1)