A collaborative model for eating research Ellen Schur, MD, MS Division of General Internal Medicine, Harborview Section UW Department of Medicine

Interdisciplinary research in eating behavior K23 award to explore genetic, behavioral, hormonal, and cognitive mechanisms of overeating Initial goal was to develop an fMRI tool for identifying neuroanatomical correlates of overeating

Where to begin? Google functional MRI study design Read a few papers Get some help from IBIC Study design Image acquisition Data processing and analysis

Brain areas crucial to energy homeostasis and perception of reward are selectively attuned to visual images of fattening foods Schur, et al, Intl J of Obesity, in press

Effect of a meal on activation in reward pathways Extracted data from regions of interest for contrast of fattening > non-fattening food Performed linear regression analysis -1 1 2 3 4 60 120 180 240 300 360 Time elapsed since meal (min.) Mean activity (z-score) P < 0.01 R Nucleus accumbens P < 0.001 Midbrain Liquid meal Spontaneous meal

Productive collaborative model Developed tool useful for understanding the subjective experience of appetite that drives food intake Methods paper published 2 abstracts 3 funded pilot studies R03 and R01 applications submitted