Implicit Priming for Obesity

Overseen By Christina Erpelding, BS

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver

Disqualifiers: Mri contraindications, pregnancy

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 12

Duration: 12 weeks

228 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to explore how different behavioral approaches can alter thoughts about food, eating habits, and weight. Participants will either view food images paired with positive or negative emotions (Active Implicit Priming), view neutral images (Control Implicit Priming), or engage in activities involving food without eating it (Food Exposure Task). The goal is to understand how these activities affect the brain and body. The trial seeks individuals aged 18 to 65 with a BMI of 27 or higher. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on behavioral approaches to weight management.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research shows that implicit priming interventions, designed to change perceptions about food, have not raised safety concerns. Studies report no negative effects, indicating participants handle these interventions well.

For the Food Exposure Task, which involves interacting with food without eating it, specific safety data is unavailable. However, similar methods have been safely used in other studies to aid eating habits. This trial is in a "Not Applicable" phase, focusing on understanding rather than testing a drug's safety. This phase typically involves fewer risks, as it centers on behavioral tasks instead of medications. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores novel psychological techniques for addressing obesity. Unlike standard treatment options like weight-loss medications or lifestyle interventions focused on diet and exercise, this trial examines implicit priming and food exposure tasks. Implicit priming targets subconscious associations with food by pairing food images with emotional stimuli, potentially altering eating behaviors without conscious effort. The Food Exposure Task could help reduce cravings by encouraging participants to engage with food in a sensory way without consumption. These approaches could offer new pathways for managing obesity, addressing the psychological aspects of eating habits.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for obesity?

In this trial, participants will join different treatment arms to evaluate their effects on obesity. Research has shown that Active Implicit Priming, one of the treatments, can change how the brain reacts to food signals. Studies have found that this method reduces brain activity in areas that make high-calorie foods appealing, which may help decrease cravings and consumption. Meanwhile, the Food Exposure Task, another treatment arm, involves being near food without eating it. This approach has been shown to reduce overeating by lessening the brain's response to food signals, potentially making high-calorie foods less tempting over time. Both treatments aim to change how the brain views food, potentially leading to healthier eating habits and weight loss. ^{1 3 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Jason R. Tregellas, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Colorado, Denver

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults aged 18-65 with obesity, defined as having a BMI of 27 or greater. It's not suitable for pregnant individuals or those who cannot undergo MRI scans due to metal or electronic devices in their body.

Inclusion Criteria

BMI of 27 or greater

Exclusion Criteria

MRI contraindications (e.g., metal or electronic devices in the body)

Pregnancy

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants undergo weekly behavioral interventions, including active or control implicit priming and a food exposure task, for 12 weeks

12 weeks

12 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in food intake, body weight, fat mass, and brain responses to food cues

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Active Implicit Priming
• Control Implicit Priming
• Food Exposure Task

Trial Overview The study tests how 'Active Implicit Priming' and 'Control Implicit Priming' interventions influence brain reactions to food, eating habits, and weight when compared to a 'Food Exposure Task'.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Active Implicit Priming Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will complete active implicit priming, in which food images are implicitly primed (i.e., below conscious awareness) with images of positive or negative affect. This will be completed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks, for approximately 10 minutes each time.

Group II: Food Exposure Task Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will complete a Food Exposure Task, in which they will be asked to smell, feel, lick, and imagine eating food items, but without actually eating them. This will be completed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks, for approximately 10-30 minutes each time.

Group III: Control Implicit Priming Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Participants will complete control implicit priming, which matches the active intervention, but with neutral stimuli as primes. This will be completed on a weekly basis for 12 weeks, for approximately 10 minutes each time.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Colorado, Denver

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,842

Recruited

3,028,000+

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Collaborator

Trials

2,513

Recruited

4,366,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

This meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials found that interventions targeting implicit biases, particularly through Go/No-Go tasks, have a small but significant effect on improving dietary behaviors and reducing implicit biases related to eating.

The study suggests that changes in implicit biases are linked to changes in eating behavior, indicating that these interventions could be useful for promoting healthier dietary choices, although further research is needed to assess their practical application in everyday life.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Implicit process interventions in eating behaviour: a meta-analysis examining mediators and moderators. Aulbach, MB., Knittle, K., Haukkala, A.[2020]

A single session of attention modification training (AMP) significantly reduced overeating behaviors in overweight and obese children, as evidenced by decreased calorie consumption during free access sessions compared to a control group.

Children in the AMP group showed a trend towards improved attentional bias away from food cues, suggesting that this training could be a promising intervention for managing overeating in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A pilot study evaluating a one-session attention modification training to decrease overeating in obese children. Boutelle, KN., Kuckertz, JM., Carlson, J., et al.[2021]

A study involving 240 undergraduate women found that combined avoidance and control training significantly reduced implicit liking for unhealthy snack foods, suggesting a potential method to combat unhealthy eating behaviors.

Participants who underwent this combined training also made fewer unhealthy food choices, supporting the idea that automatic responses to food cues can be modified, although the training did not significantly affect actual food intake.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effect of combined avoidance and control training on implicit food evaluation and choice. Kakoschke, N., Kemps, E., Tiggemann, M.[2019]

A study involving 133 children aged 7-10 demonstrated that a go/no-go task, which modified implicit reactions to energy-dense snacks, led to a significant 34% reduction in calorie intake compared to a control task.

The effectiveness of the go/no-go task in reducing snack consumption was consistent regardless of whether children were exposed to food or nonfood advertisements, indicating a robust intervention strategy for promoting healthier eating habits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Targeting implicit approach reactions to snack food in children: Effects on intake. Folkvord, F., Veling, H., Hoeken, H.[2019]

Overweight and obese women (N = 104) showed that training to either attend to or avoid food pictures significantly modified their attentional bias, with effects lasting for at least one week after training.

The 'avoid' group not only reduced their attentional bias towards food but also produced fewer food-related words in a word stem task, suggesting that modifying attentional bias could be a useful strategy in addressing overeating behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Longevity of attentional bias modification effects for food cues in overweight and obese individuals. Kemps, E., Tiggemann, M., Hollitt, S.[2018]

Elderly individuals with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) can be motivated to change their eating habits by being exposed to images of healthy foods, which may help in their weight reduction efforts.

The study found that when these individuals are primed with the goal of 'slimming', they are more likely to perceive healthy food as attractive and employ strategies to resist unhealthy food temptations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Role of Motivation to Reduce Obesity among Elderly People: Response to Priming Temptation in Obese Individuals. Obara-Gołębiowska, M., Brycz, H., Lipowska, M., et al.[2018]

A novel cognitive bias modification (CBM) program was tested on 30 participants with subclinical bulimic eating disorder, showing significant reductions in their approach and attentional biases towards high-caloric food after ten 15-minute training sessions over 5 weeks.

Participants reported decreased food cravings and bulimic symptoms, indicating that this CBM program could effectively change automatic responses to food stimuli in individuals with bulimic eating disorder tendencies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Approach Bias Modification in Food Craving-A Proof-of-Concept Study. Brockmeyer, T., Hahn, C., Reetz, C., et al.[2018]

In a study involving 189 patients with obesity, an approach-avoidance training program successfully improved the participants' ability to avoid unhealthy food cues, indicating a potential method to counteract automatic overeating tendencies.

Despite the positive changes in approach-avoidance bias, the training did not lead to significant improvements in eating behavior, body mass index, or eating pathology, suggesting that further research is needed to determine its practical effectiveness in obesity treatment.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Retraining of automatic action tendencies in individuals with obesity: A randomized controlled trial. Ferentzi, H., Scheibner, H., Wiers, R., et al.[2019]

The study involved 59 overweight children and adolescents aged 8-16 years, and it demonstrated that approach-avoidance training (AAT) significantly improved children's tendencies to reject unhealthy snack items and approach healthier vegetable options, indicating a potential method for modifying eating behaviors.

While both implicit and explicit training approaches were tested, the results showed no significant differences between them, suggesting that AAT can effectively influence automatic food-related behaviors in children regardless of the training method used.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Battle of plates: a pilot study of an approach-avoidance training for overweight children and adolescents. Warschburger, P., Gmeiner, M., Morawietz, M., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02347527

Neuronal and Behavioral Effects of Implicit Priming in ... The project goals are to determine the impact of the implicit priming intervention on both brain responses to food cues and on food intake behaviors in ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8970978/

An implicit priming intervention alters brain and behavioral ... Reduced insula and striatum response to high-calorie foods after active compared with control IP suggests effectiveness of IP in altering food cue salience.

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/implicit-priming-for-obesity-8c94d

Implicit Priming for Obesity Trial Overview The study tests how 'Active Implicit Priming' and 'Control Implicit Priming' interventions influence brain reactions to food, eating habits, and ...

4. reporter.nih.gov reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11001520

Neuronal and behavioral effects of an ... - NIH RePORTER We hypothesize that IP will alter neuronal and behavioral responses related to food intake, reducing the appeal of high-calorie foods and promoting weight loss ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235215462200136X

Response inhibition training and measures of explicit and ... This meta-analysis provides an essential introduction to the role of implicit processes in eating behaviours and systematically examines the ...

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522002349

An implicit priming intervention alters brain and behavioral ... In adults with overweight/obesity, a reduced response to high-calorie food cues was observed after active IP compared with control IP in dlPFC, insula, and ...

7. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/342059416_Implicit_food_odour_priming_effects_on_reactivity_and_inhibitory_control_towards_foods

(PDF) Implicit food odour priming effects on reactivity and ... This paper provides new insights on cognitive factors in obesity by presenting data from healthy individuals with overweight and obesity. The results ...