Impact of Fatty Stimuli on Cerebral Activity in Anorexia Nervosa: a Multi-sensory Approach

NCT ID: NCT07344831

Last Updated: 2026-01-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 90 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-01-31
• Study Completion Date: 2027-11-30

Brief Summary

Lipid restriction is significant in anorexia nervosa and limits therapeutic management. The multisensory perception of fat is altered, creating an aversion to lipids. The investigators aim to characterize the impact of sensory stimulation (smells or images) associated with specific tastes using neuropsychological assessments and functional MRI. Some volatile aromas can enhance the perception of the associated taste. The investigators hypothesize that such associations are altered in anorexia nervosa for fatty foods but may be preserved for sweet tastes, and that this alteration contributes to the maintenance of the disease. The interdependence of different sensory perceptions of lipids could play a major role in the therapeutic approach, aiding in the deconditioning of this aversion and the restoration of positive food sensory associations.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Anorexia Nervosa patient group

30 patients with anorexia nervosa

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

MRI examination

Intervention Type: OTHER

One hour MRI examination

Smell and taste capacity testings

Intervention Type: OTHER

one hour sensory testings

Normal Weight Control group

30 control subjects of normal weight

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

MRI examination

Intervention Type: OTHER

One hour MRI examination

Smell and taste capacity testings

Intervention Type: OTHER

one hour sensory testings

Low Weight Control group

30 control subjects with a similar weight to AN patients (the constitutional thinness group)

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

MRI examination

Intervention Type: OTHER

One hour MRI examination

Smell and taste capacity testings

Intervention Type: OTHER

one hour sensory testings

Interventions

MRI examination

One hour MRI examination

Intervention Type: OTHER

Smell and taste capacity testings

one hour sensory testings

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Person affiliated or entitled to a social security scheme
• Person having received informed information on the study and having co-signed, with the investigator, a consent to participate in the study
• female person
• Person affiliated or entitled to a social security scheme
• Over 18 years'old
• Knowing how to read and write French
• Patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa according to DSM-5 criteria for at least 5 years (HAS criteria). Failure of prior outpatient or/and hospitalization care over the last 12 months: stable or falling low BMI, unmodified food restriction, continued fear of weight gain, disturbances in the perception of body image
• BMI < 18.5 kg/m² for volunteers in a state of constitutional thinness. The absence of eating disorder and the absence of restriction to DEBQ questionnaires. Fertility preserved.
• For volunteers of normal weight: 18.5 kg/m² < BMI < 25 kg/m²

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnant women, parturient, nursing mothers;
• Persons deprived of their liberty, hospitalized without consent, hospitalized for purposes other than research;
• Minors
• Refusal of the study by the participant
• Person incapable of giving informed consent
• Artificial nutrition
• Associated organic damage favoring undernutrition: other chronic diseases (digestive, infectious, endocrine, pulmonary, cardiac, neurological), neoplasms, etc.
• Abuse of psychoactive substances except tobacco
• Characterized depressive episode, psychosis
• Score less than 14 on the Edinburgh laterality questionnaire.
• Contraindications to MRI or allergy to one of the components of the olfactory and taste tests
• Smokers
• Smell or taste alterations

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

CHU de Saint-Etienne

Saint-Etienne, , France

Countries

France

Central Contacts

Fabien SCHNEIDER, MD

Role: CONTACT

fabien.schneider@univ-st-etienne.fr

(0)477127529 ext. +33

Florence RANCON, CDP

Role: CONTACT

florenc.rancon@chu-st-etienne.fr

(0)477829458 ext. +33

Facility Contacts

Fabien SCHNEIDER, MD

Role: primary

fabien.schneider@chu-st-etienne.fr

(0)477127529 ext. +33

Other Identifiers

ANSM

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

24CH172

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id