ESTRA-BED
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Multimodal longitudinal and machine learning-based predictive modelling to understand the development of eating disorders
IRAS ID
326571
Contact name
Zuo Zhang
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Eating disorders (EDs) are severe mental illnesses affecting up to 15% of young women and 3% of young men in high income countries. The causes of EDs are complex and involve many biological, psychological, and social factors. We are interested in understanding the connections between many factors (such as difficulties with attention) and disordered eating.
We will investigate causes and mechanisms of eating disorders. This will help us understand the basis of diagnostic classifications, which will promote early intervention and the identification of new areas to target in treatments.
We will analyse the data already collected in the STRATIFY study, including patients with Anorexia Nervosa (N=60), Bulimia Nervosa (N=49), Binge eating disorder (N=27) and healthy controls (N=69). We will also recruit 30 new participants with binge eating disorder using the original STRATIFY protocol to enlarge the binge eating disorder group, so that its sample size is comparable to the other groups.
We will use neuroimaging, cognitive, psychological and environmental data to assess if behavioural/neural processes are what differentiate one eating disorder from another and if there are similar processes across ED diagnoses.
We will use advanced statistical methods such as machine learning based models. We will use these to find the behavioural and neurological processed involved in EDs and will validate these findings using the IMAGEN dataset to test if we can predict future disease risk.
IMAGEN is a longitudinal population-based genetic and neuroimaging study of over 2,000 participants from adolescence to early adulthood.
Participants will fill online questionnaires, take an online clinical interview, and undergo a research visit, including one brain scan, blood and urine samples, and a range of social and behavioural measures. The study will end on 30/06/2024.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NW/0232
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion