Family-based interoceptive exposure for teens with low-weight eating disorders
Official title: A Confirmatory Efficacy Study of Interoceptive Exposure for Adolescents with Low Weight Eating Disorders
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11263697 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This compares a family-based therapy that uses interoceptive exposure with standard family therapy for teens (ages 12–18) with anorexia or other low-weight eating disorders to help reduce food avoidance and restore healthy weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $782,443 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH131655-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11263697 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents aged 12–18 with anorexia nervosa or other low-weight eating disorders who can attend outpatient family-based therapy sessions.
✕Less likely to help
This would not be appropriate for children under 12, adults over 18, people whose eating problems are not low-weight anorexia-type disorders, or those who are medically unstable for outpatient treatment.
What this research studies
You'd be randomly assigned to either family-based interoceptive exposure (FBT-E) or standard family-based therapy (FBT). Sessions involve you and your family working with therapists to reduce food avoidance, increase independent eating, and build nonjudgmental body awareness through guided exposure exercises. The trial plans to enroll 120 adolescents aged 12–18 and will track weight, global eating-disorder symptoms, and treatment adherence during therapy and up to 12 months after treatment. Therapy and assessments take place at Mount Sinai with trained clinicians and follow a standardized protocol.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this therapy could help teens regain and maintain a healthier weight, reduce fear-driven food avoidance, and improve overall eating-disorder symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary mechanism and feasibility studies and open trials reported promising improvements in expected body weight and reduced food avoidance, but this randomized trial aims to confirm those results.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hildebrandt, Thomas B — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Hildebrandt, Thomas B
Related research
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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.