Restrictive eating disorders and brain white matter development in youths
Official title: Evaluating the Impact of Restrictive Eating Disorders on White Matter Development
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11360136 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will study how restrictive eating disorders affect brain white matter development in young people using brain scans and related data.
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 | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $420,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH130781-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360136 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are youths aged roughly 9 to 20 with a diagnosed restrictive eating disorder and who have historical imaging and clinical data available.
✕Less likely to help
Patients outside the age range or without access to related imaging data may not benefit from this analysis.
What this research studies
This project will use existing brain imaging and clinical data from youths with restrictive eating disorders and compare them with data from healthy controls. By harmonizing diffusion MRI data from multiple sources, we can track how white matter changes from ages 9 through adulthood. The goal is to understand trajectories of brain development and identify differences linked to restrictive eating disorders that might relate to age and puberty.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding brain development in youths with restrictive eating disorders could guide better early interventions and monitoring.
How similar studies have gone: Previous large imaging studies have shown that diffusion MRI can reveal developmental trajectories in white matter, supporting the potential usefulness of this approach.
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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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.