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NCT Number: NCT07692945

Biasing Food Value Construction

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa Feeding and Eating Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

16 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location contact

Akram Bakkour

CONTACT

[email protected]

773-702-9574

Akram Bakkour

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Jennifer E Wildes

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

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

Exclusion criteria

for all participants:

  • 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)

Exclusion criteria

for participants with anorexia nervosa:

  • current psychosis, bipolar disorder, or substance dependence
  • body mass index < 14
  • vital sign or laboratory abnormalities indicating medical instability

Treatment and study plan

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)

Primary outcomes

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

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

    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.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Akram Bakkour

CONTACT

[email protected]

773-702-9574

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Chicago

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

Constructing the Subjective Value of Food in Anorexia Nervosa

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Jul 9, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 9, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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