Pediatric Endocrine-Neuroendocrine-Sports Endocrine Research
REACT
Restrictive Eating and Athlete Cognition Trial
A study for 14-35 year old females with restrictive eating and/or athletes who have missed periods in the last 6 months
Study Aim
Research has shown that females with eating disorders have lower levels of estrogen, leading to irregular or missed periods. Estrogen is involved in mental flexibility and reward responsiveness. This study aims to investigate whether replacing estrogen levels in young females with restrictive eating and/or athletes who have irregular periods will improve mental flexibility and reward responsiveness.
The study will be 4 months long and will include 4 visits: a screening visit, a baseline visit, an 8 week visit, and a 12 week visit.
A few past participants kindly shared their experiences with us, which you can read here: Participant 1 & Participant 2
If you are eligible and interested in the study, we will contact you to schedule a screening visit. This visit will help us determine if you are eligible beyond what we can learn from you over the phone.
Interested in learning more?
Click here to read about one coach's new approach to training female athletes.
Click here to listen to a podcast about female Olympians and Paralympians from Harvard Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program.
Click the box below to read more about our unit's research.
Study Visits
Total compensation up to $500
Initial Screening Visit
Baseline
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History, Physical & Bloodwork
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Psychological assessment
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Brief questionnaires
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History, Physical & Bloodwork
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Behavioral interview
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Brief questionnaires
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Neuroimaging MRI scans
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Computer tasks
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Food diary
8 Week Visit
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History, Physical & Bloodwork
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Brief questionnaires
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Neuroimaging MRI scans
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Computer tasks
12 Week Visit
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History, Physical & Bloodwork
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Behavioral interview
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Brief questionnaires
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Computer tasks
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Food diary
Co-Investigators:
Franziska Plessow, PhD
Jennifer Thomas, PhD
Elizabeth Lawson, MD
Lauren Breithaupt Langston, PhD
Diego Pizzagalli, PhD (McLean Hospital)
Principal Investigators:
Kamryn Eddy, PhD
Madhu Misra, MD MPH
Poornima Kumar, PhD
(Site PI; McLean Hospital)