Brain Games for Obesity
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
Disqualifiers: Bariatric surgery, Eating disorder, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?The purpose of this research is to test if playing games designed to improve an individual's executive function can change their views about the types of foods they eat. Executive function is a set of mental processes that people use every day to make decisions - such as what kinds of foods they choose to eat and when and where they eat those foods.
Do I have to stop taking my current medications to join the trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It might be best to discuss this with the trial coordinators.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Train Your Brain - Executive Function for obesity?
Research suggests that improving executive function (mental skills like working memory and self-control) can help with weight loss in people with obesity. Better working memory and self-control have been linked to greater weight loss success, indicating that training these skills might improve obesity treatment outcomes.
12345Is the 'Brain Games for Obesity' treatment safe for humans?
The research articles provided do not contain specific safety data for the 'Brain Games for Obesity' treatment or its related interventions. They focus on the relationship between executive function and obesity, but do not address safety concerns.
13456How does the 'Brain Games for Obesity' treatment differ from other treatments for obesity?
The 'Brain Games for Obesity' treatment is unique because it focuses on improving executive functions (mental skills like planning and impulse control) through targeted brain training games, rather than traditional methods like diet or exercise alone. This approach aims to enhance cognitive abilities, which can help with better food choices and overall quality of life, making it different from standard obesity treatments.
578910Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for US citizens who are not pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or lactating. Participants should have a BMI between 23-38 kg/m2 and must not be currently dieting or have had significant weight changes in the past 3 months. They shouldn't use tobacco/e-cigarettes or have any major health issues that would affect their participation.Inclusion Criteria
No tobacco or e-cigarette use
BMI 23-38 kg/m2
US citizenship
+2 more
Exclusion Criteria
Not a US citizen
Currently dieting to lose weight
Tobacco or e-cigarette use
+4 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Participants complete four online games at least biweekly to improve executive function and influence food choices
9 weeks
Biweekly online sessions
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in attitudes and food choices after the training period
4 weeks
Participant Groups
The study tests if playing online games designed to boost decision-making skills can influence food preferences. One group plays games with flower and songbird images, while another plays games featuring various food images.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: EFfect-food choicesExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study.
Group II: ControlActive Control1 Intervention
Participants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research CenterGrand Forks, ND
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research CenterLead Sponsor
References
Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss. [2019]Obesity rates are rising worldwide. Executive function and delay discounting have been hypothesized to play important roles in the self-regulation of behavior, and may explain variance in weight loss treatment success. First, we compared individuals with obesity (n = 82) to healthy weight controls (n = 71) on behavioral and self-report measures of executive function (working memory, inhibition and shifting) and delay discounting. Secondly, the individuals with obesity took part in a multidisciplinary weight loss program and we examined whether executive function and delay discounting predicted weight change. Individuals with obesity displayed weaker general and food-specific inhibition, and weaker self-reported executive function. Better behavioral working memory and better self-reported inhibition skills in daily life were predictive of greater weight loss. As findings are correlational, future studies should investigate the causal relationship between executive function and weight loss, and test whether intervening on executive function will lead to better prevention and treatment of obesity.
Executive Functioning as a Predictor of Weight Loss and Physical Activity Outcomes. [2020]Executive functioning, which is fundamental for carrying out goal-directed behaviors, may be an underappreciated predictor of outcomes in lifestyle modification programs for adults with obesity.
Response monitoring and cognitive control in childhood obesity. [2013]The ability to discern when actions deviate from goals and adjust behavior accordingly is crucial for efforts at self-regulation, including managing one's weight. We examined whether children with obesity differed from controls in response monitoring, an aspect of cognitive control that involves registering one's errors. Participants performed a cognitive interference task, responding to the colors of arrows while ignoring their orientations, and error-related neural activity was indexed via response-locked event-related potentials (ERPs). Compared to controls, participants with obesity exhibited significantly blunted "error-related negativity", an ERP component linked to response monitoring. Participants with obesity also exhibited a marginally blunted "error-related positivity", an ERP component linked to late-stage error processing, as well as in behavioral indices of cognitive control. These results suggest that childhood obesity may be associated with reduced response monitoring and that this aspect of cognitive control may play an important role in health-related self-regulatory behavior.
Executive function performance in obesity and overweight individuals: A meta-analysis and review. [2022]Prior research has suggested that obesity/overweight may be associated with deficits in executive function. If true, this has important clinical implications. In this review, we synthesize the current literature by conducting a meta-analysis of studies comparing executive functions in overweight/obese individuals to normal weight controls. We identified 72 studies-with 4904 overweight/obese participants-that met our inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were analyzed using the robust variance estimation random effects meta-regression technique. It was found that obese participants showed broad impairments on executive function, including on tasks primarily utilizing inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, decision-making, verbal fluency, and planning; overweight participants only showed significant deficits in inhibition and working memory. The only moderator of effects of obesity to emerge significant was the task used to assess the respective executive function, which moderated effects of obesity on working memory and decision-making. There were not enough studies of overweight individuals to make strong claims about moderating effects in those studies. In sum, current evidence supports the existence of broad executive function deficits in obese individuals, and inhibition and working memory deficits in overweight individuals.
Decision-making in obesity without eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Iowa gambling task performances. [2018]There is evidence that obesity is associated with impairments in executive functions, such as deficits in decision-making, planning or problem solving, which might interfere with weight loss in obese individuals. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of decision-making abilities, as measured with the Iowa gambling task (IGT), in obesity without eating disorders.
Executive Function-Related Improvements on a Commercial CBT-Based Weight Management Intervention: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. [2022]Executive functioning is a key component involved in many of the processes necessary for effective weight management behavior change (e.g., setting goals). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and third-wave CBT (e.g., mindfulness) are considered first-line treatments for obesity, but it is unknown to what extent they can improve or sustain executive functioning in a generalized weight management intervention. This pilot randomized controlled trial examined if a CBT-based generalized weight management intervention would affect executive functioning and executive function-related brain activity in individuals with obesity or overweight. Participants were randomized to an intervention condition (N = 24) that received the Noom Weight program or to a control group (N = 26) receiving weekly educational newsletters. EEG measurements were taken during Flanker, Stroop, and N-back tasks at baseline and months 1 through 4. After 4 months, the intervention condition evidenced greater accuracy over time on the Flanker and Stroop tasks and, to a lesser extent, neural markers of executive function compared to the control group. The intervention condition also lost more weight than controls (-7.1 pounds vs. +1.0 pounds). Given mixed evidence on whether weight management interventions, particularly CBT-based weight management interventions, are associated with changes in markers of executive function, this pilot study contributes preliminary evidence that a multicomponent CBT-based weight management intervention (i.e., that which provides both support for weight management and is based on CBT) can help individuals sustain executive function over 4 months compared to controls.
Comparison of Inhibitory Control After Acute Bouts of Exergaming Between Children with Obesity and Their Normal-Weight Peers. [2022]Objective: The benefits of exergaming on executive function in children have been increasingly reported; however, weight-dependent effects of exergames on executive function, and inhibitory control in particular, remain poorly understood. We examined performance on an inhibitory control task at baseline and following acute bouts of exergaming in children who varied in weight status. Materials and Methods: Forty 8-12-year-old children with obesity (n = 20) and normal weight (n = 20) performed neutral, congruent, and incongruent conditions of a Victoria Stroop Test (VST) before and after exergames through an Xbox One in an elementary classroom. We measured time spent in moderate-to vigorous-intensity activity through ActiGraph accelerometers and recorded gameplay time. Results: At baseline, children with obesity relative to their normal-weight peers had significantly longer reaction times (P = 0.011), resulting in significantly longer completion time (P = 0.005) during incongruent trials requiring greater inhibitory control, and therefore had higher interference scores (P = 0.024). However, following acute bouts of exergames, children with obesity compared with their normal-weight counterparts significantly decreased completion time (P = 0.013), made fewer errors (P = 0.012) during incongruent trials, and subsequently had reduced interference effects (P = 0.037). Children with obesity and normal-weight children spent similar time (minutes) (7.8 vs. 8.6, P = 0.725) in moderate-to vigorous-intensity activity during similar gameplay time (8.7 vs. 10.5, P = 0.819). Conclusion: Our results suggest that greater, acute cognitive gains occur in children with obesity relative to normal-weight children following similar intensity and duration of exergames, which may be due to reduced inhibitory control capacity at baseline in childhood obesity.
Cognitive remediation therapy plus behavioural weight loss compared to behavioural weight loss alone for obesity: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. [2018]Current research indicates that obese individuals have cognitive deficits in executive function, leading to difficulties with planning, impulse control and decision-making. High levels of inflammation have been proposed to contribute to executive function deficits in individuals with obesity.
Executive Function Training in Childhood Obesity: Food Choice, Quality of Life, and Brain Connectivity (TOuCH): A Randomized Control Trial Protocol. [2021]Background: Individuals with obesity are known to present cognitive deficits, especially in executive functions. Executive functions play an important role in health and success throughout the whole life and have been related to food decision-making and to the ability to maintain energy balance. It is possible to improve executive functions through targeted training. This would involve brain plasticity changes that could be studied through connectivity MRI. The general hypothesis of this study is that executive functions training in children with obesity can improve food choices and produce cognitive and neuroimaging changes (structural and functional connectivity), as well as improve emotional state and quality of life. Methods: Randomized controlled double-blind trial with 12-month follow-up. Thirty children with obesity will be randomly allocated into "executive training" (Cognifit with adaptive difficulty + Cogmed) or "control task" group (Cognifit without adaptive difficulty). Both groups will attend 30-45 min of individual gamified training (Cogmed and/or Cognifit systems) by iPad, five times per week during 6 weeks. Cogmed and Cognifit software are commercially available from Pearson and Cognifit, respectively. Participants will receive an iPad with both apps installed for a 6-week use. Participants will also receive counseling diet information via presentations sent to the iPad and will wear a Fitbit Flex 2 tracker to monitor daily activity and sleep patterns. Main outcomes will be cognitive, emotional, food decision, and quality-of-life measures, as well as neuroimaging measures. Participants are evaluated at baseline (T0), after treatment (T1), and 12 months since baseline (T2). Discussion: Longitudinal study with active control group and 3 time points: baseline, immediately after treatment, and 1 year after baseline. Threefold treatment: executive function training, psychoeducation, and feedback on activity/sleep tracking. We will evaluate the transfer effects of the intervention, including emotional and functional outcomes, as well as the effects on neural plasticity by connectivity MRI. Trial registration: This project has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (trial registration number NCT03615274), August 3, 2018.
Aerobic exercise enhances executive function and academic achievement in sedentary, overweight children aged 7-11 years. [2012]Summary of: Davis CL et al (2011) Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: a randomized controlled trial. Health Pscyh 30: 91-98. [Prepared by Nora Shields, CAP Editor.]