Project THINK: Trajectories of Health, Ingestive Behaviors, and Neurocognition in Kids

Summary

Overweight/obesity and loss of control eating (characterized by the sense that one cannot control what or how much one is eating) are prevalent among children and adolescents, and both are associated with serious medical and psychosocial health complications. Although our recently published data suggest that youth with these conditions may have relative deficits in neurocognitive functioning, particularly working memory, understanding of how these processes and their neural correlates are related to change and stability in eating and weight-related outcomes over time is limited, thereby impeding development of targeted, optimally timed interventions. The present study aims to assess prospective associations between general and food-specific executive functioning and underlying neural substrates, and eating and weight outcomes among children at varying levels of risk overweight/obesity and eating disorders, which will help guide research efforts towards the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* Not currently taking any medications known to affect weight or appetite
* Free of any current or past medical or psychiatric conditions known to significantly affect eating or weight (e.g., diabetes, bulimia nervosa), with the exception of binge eating disorder
* In the low average range or higher on measures of general intellectual functioning
* Free of any conditions affecting executive functioning (e.g., recent concussion, history of traumatic brain injury)
* Fluent in English, and able to read and comprehend study materials
* Not currently pregnant

Conditions3

Locations2 sites

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