Changes in Inhibition and Valuation After Eating

Dynamic Neural Computations Underlying Cognitive Control in Bulimia Nervosa

An impaired ability to exert control has been implicated in bulimia nervosa (BN), but this impairment may not represent a stable trait or be the most effective focus for treatment. This project aims to understand how predictions and value-based decisions about control may be abnormally influenced by eating in individuals with BN, thereby maintaining cycles of binge eating, purging, and restriction.

The overarching goal of this project is to test a neurocomputational model of BN that incorporates learning and decision-making components of control. The study combines functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), computational modeling, and real-time mobile assessments to examine the influences of acute fasting and eating on brain function and associated control-related updating and effort-valuation processes in BN. More specifically, the study has the following main objectives: 1) To determine the influence of eating on control-related prediction updating in BN.; 2) To determine the influence of eating on control-related cognitive effort valuation in BN; 3) To use state-specific neural activation to predict BN symptoms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Aged 18 to 45 years
• Current BMI greater than or equal to 18.5kg/m2 but under 30kg/m2
• Right-handed
• English-speaking

Additional Inclusion Criteria for Women with Bulimia Nervosa:

• Meet DSM-5 criteria for bulimia nervosa

Exclusion Criteria:

• Medical instability
• Ongoing medical treatment, medical condition, or psychiatric disorder that may interfere with study variables or participation
• Shift work
• Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, or lactation during the study period
• Allergy to any of the ingredients in or unwillingness to consume the standardized meal or unwillingness to drink water during the fasting period
• Any contraindication for fMRI