Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Minnesota

Code:

NCT04917068

Conditions

Bulimia Nervosa

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 55

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this investigation is to identify the potentially crucial role of anticipatory reward mechanisms maintaining bulimic behavior (i.e., binge eating and purging) in bulimia nervosa (BN). The research will investigate neural and psychological anticipatory processes in BN, both in the scanner and the natural environment.

Conditions

Bulimia Nervosa

Study ID

NCT04917068

Start date

Apr 1, 2022

Status verified date

Jan, 2026

Completion date

Nov 30, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Nov 30, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 55

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy control (HC) groups:

  • Right-handed
  • Ability to read and speak in English

BN group only:

  • Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) diagnosis of BN (i.e., at least one objective bulimic episode and one self-induced vomiting episode per week for at three months) with binge episodes always accompanied by self-induced vomiting
  • Stable dose for at least 6 weeks of any recent changes in medication impacting mood, appetite, or weight

HC group only:

  • No binge eating or purging episodes for the past three months on the EDE
  • No current or past history of an eating disorder as diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of gastric bypass surgery
  • Medical condition acutely affecting eating behavior and/or weight (i.e., pregnancy, lactation, thyroid disease)
  • Current medical or psychiatric instability (i.e., hospitalization required in the past three months)
  • Lifetime history of psychosis or bipolar disorder
  • History of neurological disorder or injury (i.e., stoke, head injury with >10 minutes loss of consciousness)
  • Current substance use disorder
  • BMI less than 19 kg/m\^2
  • Acute suicidality requiring hospitalization
  • fMRI exclusions as specifiedd by the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research
  • Food allergy that cannot be accommodated through substitutions to the laboratory test snack

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants

Anticipated

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

Bulimia Nervosa

Participants with diagnosed bulimia nervosa (BN) who will complete all tasks during Visits 1 and 2 in addition to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) procedures following Visit 2.

Healthy Control

Participants without diagnosed BN or other current or past eating disorders who will complete all tasks during Visits 1 and 2 and will not complete EMA procedures following Visit 2.

Primary outcome measure

  • The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) self-reported negative affect [ Time Frame: 1-2 months ]
  • The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) self-reported positive affect [ Time Frame: 1-2 months ]
  • Activation in regions of the limbic threat network [ Time Frame: approximately 4 hours ]
  • Activation in regions of the striatal approach network [ Time Frame: approximately 4 hours ]
  • Frontolimbic connectivity [ Time Frame: approximately 4 hours ]
  • Frontostriatal connectivity [ Time Frame: approximately 4 hours ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Carol B Peterson, PhD

(612)-273-9811peter161@umn.edu

Locations

University of Minnesota

Recruiting

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455

Contacts

Carol B Peterson, PhD

612-273-9811

More Information

Sponsor

University of Minnesota

Last update posted

Jan 8, 2026

Last verified

Jan, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Minnesota on 2026-01-08.