The Friedman Brain Institute

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Eating Disorders and Other Neuroendocrine Syndromes

  1. Research

RESEARCH

Eating Disorders and Other Neuroendocrine Syndromes

At The Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, our researchers are dedicated to investigating and understanding eating disorders, as well as neuroendocrine syndromes. We employ a comprehensive approach that combines various scientific methods to delve into the complexities of these conditions. We use a range of neuropsychological, psychophysiological, imaging, and hormonal tools to characterize key aspects of eating pathology and apply them to novel treatments for patients with eating, weight, and body image disorders.

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Areas of Research and Clinical Focus

The purpose of this research is to collect clinical, psychophysiological, behavioral, laboratory feeding, neuroimaging, and genetic information on a broad developmental and diagnostic range of eating and weight disorders to better understand the phenotypic expressions of these illness with a hope to inform better diagnostic and clinical targets for intervention. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to examine the capacity of the brain to synthesize the hormone estrogen and its relationship to appetitive and inhibitory control processes in the brain. Variability in this system may explain the elevated prevalence rates of bulimia nervosa (BN) among women, and this study will use imaging methods to measure estrogen biosynthesis in relation to eating inhibitory control networks in the brain and laboratory measures of appetitive control. Studying the mechanisms that may affect how BN presents, will lead to more understanding about the biological systems that alter sex-specific risks for inhibitory control systems. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this study is to validate a newly developed model of anxiety linking specific threat features to central nervous system distinguished subtypes of anxiety (fear, worry, and disgust). Studies testing both unique scale development and computational approaches to linking threat features (uncertainty, proximity, location) to experience of different emotional states. Integration of sympathetic and parasympathetic, attentional, and psychophysiological measures to explain these emotional responses and use them to better characterize symptom expression in eating and weight disorders.

Scientists in this research area include:

This research tests the acute effects of vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) on eating behavior and stomach functioning in people who experience anorexia nervosa. This project includes laboratory measurements of eating behavior, facial responses to food-cues, and assessments of stomach dysrhythmia. Elevated slow wave adaptations to starvation and associated physiological symptoms (bloating, nausea, stomach pain, etc.) and their response to stimulation are measured across different settings to experimentally determine if altering stomach rhythm can acutely alter eating behavior, food-cue responsivity, and physiological symptoms.    

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to test a peer-led coaching approach to eating disorder treatment. Twelve weeks of coaching and education will be incorporated into standard treatment to help strengthen skills learned during treatment (such as supported eating, handling discomfort, and positive coping) for parents or their child and utility of these coaches in skill uptake and generalization tested. 

Scientists in this research area include:

This research tests the long-term benefits of interoceptive exposure versus traditional family based therapy on autonomous eating, body acceptance, and food-cue learning in adolescents (aged 12-18). Interoceptive processes are believed to facilitate food avoidance by biasing food-cue (and body evaluation) response through disgust conditioning. The novel intervention focuses on developing tolerance to disgust-aversion and utilizing associative learning methods to alter valence of aversive cues during treatment leading to improved eating, body-related, and learning outcomes. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to determine if four weeks of stimulating the vagus nerve using taVNS will help individuals with anorexia nervosa improve gastric emptying, laboratory eating, and food-cue learning. Clinical acceptability and tolerability will be analyzed with efficacy of the intervention as adjunct to existing treatments for those with anorexia nervosa, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, and related illness. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to investigate differences in stomach activity in people who suffer from eating disorders with a standard measurement of gastric activity relative to matched healthy controls. Specific gastric responses to water and high and low kcal supplementation will be tested and symptom correlates, diagnostic differences, and discrimination from healthy responses estimated. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to test a dietary intervention developed for weight maintenance (relapse prevention) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This intervention will be studied in adult women with AN who have recovered to normal weight and in women without any eating disorders to estimate the specific metabolic and psychiatric effects of the illness.  

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to examine the effect of the Noom Health platform in comparison to the Noom Digital Health intervention for helping people to lose weight and increase their adherence to diet and exercise recommendations. By measuring how these programs work over time, we will be able to understand more about the elements needed in a smartphone app for the best long-term health outcomes. Our study will use the technology of a Digital Health platform to overcome obstacles to weight loss and the skills and advice to maintain weight loss over time. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this research study is to investigate decision-making in people who suffer from an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa (AN) or Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). People with AN/ARFID tend to avoid food and make food choices that do not provide enough energy to meet their nutritional needs. The reasons for this are not well understood and may have to do with difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Understanding decision making and food choices of people with AN/ARFID may help us design better treatment. 

Scientists in this research area include:

The purpose of this study is to examine how gonadal hormones influence the coherence of topographic networks responsible for inhibitory control and reward learning in youth and emerging adolescents using general brain arousal theory. The computational approach will quantify the effect of hormones on brain specific risk for binge eating by calculating a generalized effect of hormones on network dynamics of youth and pre-adolescent brains and examining sex differences in these organization and dynamic properties in the ABCD study of brain development. 

Scientists in this research area include:

Contact Us

Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD

Icahn Building
212-659-8724
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