Food and the Brain

Emotion and Reward Processing in Binge Eating

The proposed study will examine the role of reward and emotion in women with and without a history of binge eating. It is important to understand how the brain responds to reward and emotion in binge eating in order to identify different pathways toward binge eating and provide individualized targets for treatment. This is particularly important in light of the fact that for many patients, the current treatments for binge eating are not effective.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Ages 18-35
• with or without current binge eating behaviors

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any contraindication for MRI (orthodontia, vascular stents, metallic ear tubes, metal implants, piercings, etc).
• substance abuse
• traumatic brain injury
• BMI < 18.5
• pregnant women