How brain signals relate to food and alcohol changes after weight-loss surgery
Official title: Neuroimaging to investigate mechanisms underlying changes in Intake of high energy dense foods and alcohol from pre to post bariatric surgery
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11099945 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how brain activity, eating of high- versus low-calorie foods, and alcohol use change in people before and after two common bariatric surgeries.
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 | August 5, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $702,310 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AA030850-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11099945 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with severe obesity who are planning to have or have had sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, plus matched adults with similar BMI, age, sex, and alcohol use, are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are under 18, not undergoing bariatric surgery, pregnant, or unable to have MRI scans or alcohol testing are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would join one of three groups (sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, or a matched non-surgery group) and be followed before surgery, one year after, and two years after. Researchers will use brain scans while showing food and alcohol cues, record what you eat and drink, and measure how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream. They will compare brain responses, actual food intake, and alcohol absorption over time to see which changes happen together. The goal is to link brain-level changes to real-world eating and drinking after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is at risk for eating more high-calorie foods or increasing alcohol use after bariatric surgery so doctors can offer targeted support.
How similar studies have gone: Prior imaging work showed reduced brain reward responses to high-calorie foods after these surgeries, but linking those brain changes to actual food intake and long-term alcohol use is a new step.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Geliebter, Allan — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Geliebter, Allan
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BREW ME Model: How bariatric surgery changes alcohol use biology
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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.