Eating Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
working memory, adherence
Brief summary
The investigators are interested about the degree to which individuals can persist with individualized treatment goals when their cues (external such as food, or internal such as anxiety) are high for impulsive/maladaptive behavior (e.g., purging, not eating, etc.). The investigators want to find specific high-difficulty situations in which to assess whether participants remain mindful of the big picture and are willing to work toward therapeutic goals. Also, the investigators want to rate the participants degree of success (e.g., proportion of calories eaten) assessed more objectively. The theory is that working memory capacity (WMC) modulates the ability to keep longer-term goals in mind when faced by current stress/temptations. For example, the ability to control drinking when one has an implicit urge to drink is predicted by WMC. The ability to apply a novel emotional regulation skill at a time of stress is also predicted by WMC. Indeed, the generic ability to pursue goals in the future (as assessed by the discounting of the value of future goals) is reliably predicted by WMC. There is also evidence that activation of brain regions associated with WMC (by direct activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), or by having a person complete a relevant cognitive task) improves delay discounting. Accordingly, the investigators are proposing a study that both assesses the link between WMC and relevant the clinical measures noted above, as well as changes in these measures following activation of WM with a cognitive prime (WM task). The overall design calls for an initial WMC assessment, followed by randomization to complete 3 days of a WM prime and then 3 days of a no prime group, or vice versa. The investigators then assess the clinical outcomes noted above across the following 6 days, with a WM prime first or no prime first occurring prior to the targeted behaviors. The investigators will prime WM prior to participant's evening meal, with the WM intervention offered during the free time before this meal.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALN-back
The N-back task is a measure of working memory in which individuals need to make a response to targets which are repeated letters either in a row (i.e., one-back) or in every-other-letter format (i.e., two-back).
BEHAVIORALWhite Bear Task
For this thought suppression task, participants are instructed to inhibit thoughts of a white bear, and to indicate with a pencil mark every time the thought of the white bear occurs to them.
Sponsors
Boston University Charles River Campus
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Residential patients * Females 18 and older * Able to provide informed consent for the study * Sufficient command of the English language * Have experience using a computer and mouse * Diagnosed with an Eating Disorder
Exclusion criteria
None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Meal Compliance | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Therapeutic Food and Snack Log. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mood | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Mood Monitoring Form |
| Delay Discounting | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Monetary-Choice Questionnaire |
| Eating Disorder Symptoms | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) |
| Depression | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) |
| Depression, Anxiety, and Stress | Comparison of day 5 to day 8 scores taking into account intervention type, intervention order, and baseline scores | Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed