Retraining the brain to value food: a new approach for anorexia
NCT ID NCT07692945
First seen Jul 09, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates whether a brief training task can change how people with anorexia nervosa value food. Participants view food images and focus on attributes like tastiness or healthiness, then make food choices. The goal is to see if this training makes their choices more like those of healthy eaters.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a simple behavioral technique to help people with anorexia nervosa make healthier food choices.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with a small sample, and the training effect may not translate to real-world eating behavior or lasting change.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 150 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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16 to 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * aged 16-35 years * male or female * able to read and speak English Exclusion Criteria for all participants: * history of concussion or neurological disease * full scale IQ estimate \< 80; * taking medication that has been shown to affect attention or learning (i.e., second generation antipsychotics, memantine, methylphenidate, or modafinil) Exclusion Criteria for participants with anorexia nervosa: * current psychosis, bipolar disorder, or substance dependence * body mass index \< 14 * vital sign or laboratory abnormalities indicating medical instability
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
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