Brain Changes in Restrictive Eating Disorders
Official title: Evaluating the Impact of Restrictive Eating Disorders on White Matter Development
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11112419 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how restrictive eating disorders might affect brain development in young people and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $420,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH130781-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11112419 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research focuses on understanding brain development in individuals aged 9 to 40 who have restrictive eating disorders.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not directly involved in the original data collection for the parent grants will not receive direct personal benefit from this specific analysis.
What this research studies
We are studying how restrictive eating disorders might change the brain's white matter, which helps different parts of the brain communicate. Researchers will use existing brain scans, along with clinical information, blood samples, and diet details from individuals with eating disorders. These will be compared to similar information from healthy individuals to understand the differences. The goal is to see how these brain changes develop over time, especially during adolescence and early adulthood.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding these brain changes could help us develop better ways to identify, treat, and support individuals with restrictive eating disorders.
How similar studies have gone: This project builds on existing neuroimaging data and uses well-established methods to analyze brain images, combining information from several previous studies.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kubicki, Marek — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Kubicki, Marek
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Anxiety and body-sense as a warning for eating disorders in kids
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FlexED: a fun digital program to help teens with eating concerns
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Reducing minority stress to help sexual minority adults with eating disorders
This project tests a new, identity-affirming treatment approach designed to help sexual minority adults with eating disorders by addressing stigma-related stress and coping skills.
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Restrictive eating disorders and brain white matter development in youths
Researchers will study how restrictive eating disorders affect brain white matter development in young people using brain scans and related data.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.