An interventional study of Milkshake fMRI in Obesity, sponsored by University of Nebraska Lincoln. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 19 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-12.
Sponsored by University of Nebraska Lincoln · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The purpose of this study is to examine patterns of neural activation in a priori selected brain regions associated with reward process during anticipation and delivery of appetizing food stimuli (milkshake sips) among young adults.
This observational trial seeks to examine neural activation patterns in a food reward sensitivity task. The study uses the "milkshake" MRI task to assess individual food reward sensitivity in a sample of young adult participants. Participants are presented with a series of trials in which a visual cue is provided (either a glass of milkshake or water), followed by delivery of a sip of the corresponding liquid. Activation in a priori regions associated with reward processing is measured via blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal, both in response to the cue and actual delivery of the sip. Explicating patterns of reward processing for appetizing food stimuli holds potential to inform understanding of the neural underpinnings of obesity risk.
6,296 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 1,695 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 187 is above the median of 78 across 4,878 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.
Browse Obesity studies →University of Nebraska Lincoln is the lead sponsor of 28 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants are delivered sips of appetizing tastes (milkshake) and tasteless solution throughout the task while in the MRI scanner.
Other: Milkshake fMRI
While in the MRI scanner, the participant is shown a cue indicating the impending delivery of either milkshake or tasteless solution, followed by a brief blank screen, then delivery of the sip, and then a swallow cue. This procedure is repeated throughout the task.
Caudate Activation for Sip Cue
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the caudate for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after cue is presented
Putamen Activation for Sip Cue
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the putamen for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after cue is presented
Insula Activation for Sip Cue
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the insula for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after cue is presented
Caudate Activation for Sip Delivery
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the caudate for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after delivery of sip
Putamen Activation for Sip Delivery
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the putamen for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after delivery of sip
Insula Activation for Sip Delivery
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the insula for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
Time frame: 7 seconds after delivery of sip
| Milestone | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| Started | 187 |
| Completed | 187 |
| Not completed | 0 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the caudate for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Caudate Activation for Sip Cue | -0.026264341 ± 0.261413915 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the putamen for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Putamen Activation for Sip Cue | -0.020653429 ± 0.23259893 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the insula for all milkshake cue trials versus all tasteless solution cue trials (milkshake\>tasteless) after receiving the cue but before the delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Insula Activation for Sip Cue | -0.058804599 ± 0.1660244 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the caudate for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Caudate Activation for Sip Delivery | -0.01520067 ± 0.269324341 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the putamen for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Putamen Activation for Sip Delivery | -0.010750489 ± 0.211345119 |
MRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity signal in the insula for all milkshake trials versus all tasteless solution trials (milkshake\>tasteless) upon delivery of the actual sip.
| activation beta value | fMRI |
|---|---|
| Insula Activation for Sip Delivery | 0.084583225 ± 0.173758221 |
Collected over During the session in which the milkshake task trial was conducted. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| fMRI Milkshake Task | 0/187 (0%) | 0/187 (0%) | 0/187 (0%) |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| <=18 years | 0 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 187 |
| >=65 years | 0 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| Female | 113 |
| Male | 74 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 21 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 162 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 4 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 1 |
| Asian | 6 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 |
| Black or African American | 17 |
| White | 133 |
| More than one race | 24 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 6 |
| Region of Enrollment(participants) | fMRI Milkshake Task |
|---|---|
| United States | 187 |
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Plan to share: No — There is not a plan to make IPD available
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University of Nebraska Lincoln