CClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06566612Updated May 1, 2026

Avoidance-driven Decision Making and Learning in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

An observational study in Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa, sponsored by University of California, San Diego. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 39 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-01.

Sponsored by University of California, San Diego · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Aug 2024; still recruiting 2 years 2 months later.
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
78
Ages
18 Years to 39 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate areas of the brain responsible for avoidance learning in adults with eating disorders using brain imaging techniques, computer tasks, and self-report questionnaires and interviews. The investigators will study changes in brain activity using a procedure called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This study will include 78 women with an eating disorder (26 with anorexia nervosa [AN], 26 with bulimia nervosa [BN]) and 26 healthy controls (HC) aged 18-39.

Aim 1: Evaluate behavioral differences in active and passive avoidance learning in eating disorders and associations with symptoms.

Aim 2: Evaluate whether corticostriatal and limbic-prefrontal fMRI BOLD response associated with avoidance learning differs in eating disorders relative to healthy controls and relates to symptoms.

Aim 3: Evaluate whether functional connectivity of avoidance learning neural circuity differs in eating disorders relative to healthy controls.

02

Conditions studied

  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Anorexia Nervosa
03

In context

Bulimia Nervosa

163 studies on the registry are indexed under Bulimia Nervosa; 39 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 78 is below the median of 90 across 43 observational studies indexed under Bulimia Nervosa.

Browse Bulimia Nervosa studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Diego is the lead sponsor of 958 studies on the registry; 191 are open to participants now.

Of its 110 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 70 (64%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 39 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

The study will recruit 52 adult women currently ill with an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa (AN; n=26) and bulimia nervosa (BN, n=26), and 26 healthy control (HC) women between the ages of 18 and 39.

Inclusion criteria

Eating Disorder Group:

  • Between the ages of 18 and 39 years old
  • Meet DSM-V criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa

Healthy Controls:

  • Between the ages of 18 and 39 years old
  • Have maintained 85% to 120% ideal body weight since menarche

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Psychotic illness/other mental illness requiring hospitalization
  • Current dependence on drugs or alcohol defined by DSM IV criteria. Additionally, positive test results for drug use on the day of the scan, apart of marijuana, will result in cancelling or rescheduling the scan because acute use will impact MRI measures.
  • Physical conditions (e.g. diabetes mellitus, pregnancy) known to influence eating or weight
  • Neurological disorder, neurodevelopmental disorder, or history of head injury with >30 min loss of consciousness
  • Any contraindication to undergoing an MRI
  • Primary obsessive compulsive disorder or primary major depressive disorder

Additional Exclusion Criteria for ED Group:

  • If taking other psychotropic medication, any change in dosage in the 2 weeks before scanning

Additional Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Control Group:

  • Meet criteria for the diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder currently
  • Any history of binge eating or purging behaviors, including self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic misuse
  • Use of any psychoactive or other medication known to affect mood or concentration in the last 3 months
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
78 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Anorexia Nervosa

    Participants that meet Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) criteria for Anorexia Nervosa.

  • Bulimia Nervosa

    Participants that meet DSM-V criteria for Bulimia Nervosa.

  • Healthy Controls

    Participants that do not meet DSM-V criteria for any disorder.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Learning rate

    Behavioral responses during a card game gambling task

    Time frame: 25 minutes

  2. fMRI brain response

    fMRI brain activity associated with the card game gambling task

    Time frame: 25 minutes

  3. Brain connectivity

    Whole-brain functional connectivity associated with the card game gambling task

    Time frame: 10 minutes

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • UCSD Eating Disorders Treatment and Research Program
    La Jolla, California 92121, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 1, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06566612
Lead sponsor
University of California, San Diego
Responsible party
Christina Wierenga (Professor in Residence, University of California, San Diego) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 22, 2024
Start date
Aug 1, 2024
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jul 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
May 1, 2026

Study contacts

Christina E Wierenga, PhD
Contact
cwierenga@health.ucsd.edu
858-534-8047

Oversight

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

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion