Healthy Volunteers, Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
Decision-making, Ghrelin, Healthy Volunteers, Obese
Brief summary
This study evaluates the effect of the hunger hormone ghrelin on human decision-making. Participants will be given an injection of ghrelin or saline on different study days and will then be asked to make a series of computer-based decisions. The investigators hypothesize that ghrelin will increase participant's preference for energy-dense foods and will also increase impulsiveness in decision making.
Detailed description
Ghrelin is a hormone made by the stomach that stimulates hunger and feeding behavior. How ghrelin affects human decision-making is poorly understood. This study will investigate the effect of ghrelin on nutrition-related and time-based decisions in humans. Participants eye movements will be tracked by a computer during the decision-making process.
Interventions
DRUGGhrelin
Subjects will receive a subcutaneous injection of synthetic acyl ghrelin (12 µg/kg) at the start of the study.
DRUGSaline
Subjects will receive a subcutaneous injection of saline (0.9%) at the start of the study.
Sponsors
Jenny Tong, MD, MPH
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Ability to speak and understand English * BMI of 18.0 - 24.9 kg/m2 or 30.0 - 50.0 kg/m2
Exclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (including gestational diabetes) * Active infections * History of malignant or inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease * History of myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure * Active liver or kidney disease * Uncontrolled hypertension * Pituitary or adrenal disorders or neuroendocrine tumors * History of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or eating disorders not otherwise specified (NOS); Score of at risk on the EAT-26 eating disorder screening tool * Diagnosis of attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) * Malabsorptive gastrointestinal disease, gastroparesis, or history of gastrointestinal surgery * Pregnancy or lactation * Requirement of daily medications that alter gastrointestinal function (including, but not limited to, glucocorticoids, psychotropics, narcotics, and metoclopramide). * Requirement of glasses for impaired vision (including reading glasses). Subjects who wear contact lenses for vision correction will not be excluded. * Insufficient visual acuity to read and interpret the decision stimuli * Insufficient motor capabilities to press a button, move the joystick, or move their eyes to indicate a response
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Effect of Ghrelin on food choices in Task 1. | Approximately 25 minutes | The difference in the proportion of healthy and unhealthy choices in the Saline and Ghrelin conditions. |
| Effect of Ghrelin on temporal choices in Task 2 | Approximately 25 minutes | The difference in the proportion of smaller sooner and larger later choices in the Saline and Ghrelin conditions |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dwell time on each choice during Task 1 | Approximately 25 minutes | For eye-tracking, total dwell time (in ms) on each item in a food choice will be compared in both experimental conditions. |
| Number of fixations on foods during Task 1 | Approximately 25 minutes | The total number of fixations on each food option will be compared in both experimental conditions. |
| Dwell time on each choice during Task 2 | Approximately 25 minutes | For eye-tracking, total dwell time (in ms) on each item in the monetary choice will be compared in both experimental conditions. |
| Number of fixations on foods during Task 2 | Approximately 25 minutes | The total number of fixations on each monetary option will be compared in both experimental conditions. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed