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CompletedNCT05785429FLAIR-iUpdated Sep 2, 2025

The Effect of Colchicine on Food-related Effort-based Decision Making in Brain and Behaviour in Overweight and Obesity

An interventional study of Colchicine 0.5 MG and Placebo in Overweight and Obesity, sponsored by Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging. Completed at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 59 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-02.

Sponsored by Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
59
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 59 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The main objective of the FLAIR-i study is to study the causal role of inflammation in affecting effort-based decision making in brain and behaviour in overweight and obesity, by comparing the effect of the anti-inflammatory agent colchicine vs. placebo.

Read the detailed description

Obesity is a major health problem worldwide and is characterized by increases in low-grade, systemic inflammation. Outside the field of obesity, increases in inflammation have been related to loss of motivation and effortful behaviour, which can be objectively measured with effort-based decision making in brain and behaviour. Here, the investigators hypothesise that low-grade inflammation is causing altered striatal brain responses and effortless 'fast food' choices in overweight and obesity. The objective of this study is to study the causal role of inflammation in affecting effort-based decision making in brain and behaviour in overweight and obese participants, by comparing the effect of the anti-inflammatory agent colchicine vs. placebo. In addition, it will be investigated whether this primary objective translates to more ecologically valid measures/settings.

02

Conditions studied

  • Overweight and Obesity

Keywords

  • Overweight
  • Obesity
  • Inflammation
  • fMRI
  • Motivation
03

In context

Overweight

3,670 studies on the registry are indexed under Overweight; 849 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 59 is below the median of 73 across 3,175 interventional studies indexed under Overweight.

Browse Overweight studies →

Lead sponsor

Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 59 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2
  • Female sex
  • Right-handed
  • Age: 18-59 years
  • Shoulder width of \< 68 cm (to fit into the MRI scanner)
  • Dutch speaking - Sufficient level to understand task instructions
  • Low-grade inflammatory state, as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) between 3.0 and 10.0 mg/L

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having been vaccinated by any type of vaccine in the 4 weeks preceding the first test session
  • Having had an infection characterized by a fever, or diagnosed by a medical physician in the 4 weeks preceding the first test session
  • Diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus type I or II
  • Gained or lost >2 points in BMI (kg/m2) over the last 6 months
  • Followed an energy restricting diet during the last 2 months
  • Having had bariatric surgery in the past 5 years
  • Regular use of anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, weight-loss, and psychoactive medication
  • Regular use of CYP3A4 inhibitors, P-glycoprotein inhibitors, statins, fibrates, ciclosporin, and digoxin, as a contraindication for colchicine
  • Have renal impairment as evidenced by serum creatinine >150 μmol/l or eGFR \<50mL/min/1.73m2, determined maximum 12 weeks before inclusion
  • Have moderate to severe hepatic disease
  • (History of) clinically significant psychiatric or neurological disorder
  • (History of) clinically significant metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, liver, endocrinological, autoimmune or chronic inflammatory disease
  • General medical conditions, such as sensorimotor handicaps, deafness, blindness or colour-blindness, as judged by the investigator
  • Current or history of alcohol and/or drugs abuse (i.e. >14 units per week)
  • Habitual smoking, i.e. one or more cigarettes per day
  • Pregnant, lactating or wishing to become pregnant in the period between the screening and until 3 months after the last study visit
  • Participation in another weight loss, lifestyle or anti-inflammatory intervention in the context of research at the time of inclusion or during the study
  • Contraindications for MRI
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
59 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Colchicine

    One tablet of colchicine 0.5 mg per day

    Drug: Colchicine 0.5 MG

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    One tablet of microcrystalline cellulose per day

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • DrugColchicine 0.5 MG

    Participant in the intervention group receive one tablet of 0.5mg colchicine per day for 12 weeks.

  • DrugPlacebo

    Participants in the intervention group receive one tablet of placebo per day for 12 weeks.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in effort valuation in brain and behaviour

    Brain activity (BOLD signal during functional MRI) and behavioural weightings upon/of effort sensitivity, as measured by an effort-based decision making task.

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  2. Change in reward valuation in brain and behaviour

    Brain activity (BOLD signal during functional MRI) and behavioural weightings upon/of reward sensitivity, as measured by an effort-based decision making task.

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change effort/reward related food intake ratio

    Intake of food items varying in effort and reward/calories, measured by a bogus food taste test.

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  2. Change in reward anticipation/reward consummation ratio in daily life

    Reward anticipation and reward consummation scores in daily life as measured by the Experience Sampling Method

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

Other outcomes

  1. C-reactive protein

    High sensitive C-reactive protein measured in plasma

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  2. Inflammation profile (blood)

    Assay-based profile of systemic inflammation measured in plasma stimulation, Olink Inflammatory profile

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  3. Brain myo-inositol levels

    Brain myo-inositol levels reflecting neuroinflammation in ventral striatum and ACC, measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  4. Abdominal fat distribution

    VAT(visceral adipose tissue)/SAT(subcutaneous adipose tissue) ratio based on abdominal MRI scan

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

  5. (Resting state) functional connectivity networks

    Measured by functional MRI

    Time frame: Change between baseline and follow-up after 12 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
    Nijmegen, 9525EN, Netherlands
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 2, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05785429
Lead sponsor
Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
Collaborators
Radboud University Medical Center, HAN University of Applied Sciences
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 27, 2023
Start date
Aug 2, 2022
Primary completion
Jan 20, 2025
Completion
Jan 20, 2025
Last update
Sep 2, 2025

Study contacts

Esther Aarts, Prof.dr.
principal investigator · Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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