An interdisciplinary study of eating behavior in twins

描述(由申请人提供)： 这一K23奖项将使舒尔博士成为一名独立研究员，精通设计和实施关于饮食行为和体重调节的跨学科研究。培训和研究活动的重点是复杂的环境和基因对饮食习惯和食欲调节的影响。该申请提出了一项为期5年的强化指导研究和正式培训活动计划，以增强舒尔博士在以下方面的技能和经验：1)临床研究方法和生物统计学，2)饮食行为研究，3)食欲调节激素的生理学，4)双胞胎研究方法。从长远来看，舒尔博士将应用这些技能来研究肥胖的发展和预防。 这一职业发展奖的研究部分针对的是饮食异常行为的一个方面，这种行为主要被描述为一种心理现象。节食者是慢性节食者，他们中的一些人也容易暴饮暴食。在实验条件下，有节制的进食者在摄入高卡路里的预负荷(如奶昔)后会暴饮暴食，而无节制的进食者则不会。这被认为是纯粹的心理影响，但生理和遗传因素还没有被研究过。利用以人群为基础的华盛顿大学双胞胎注册中心，具体目的是：1)建立限制进食对遗传和环境的影响，2)调查食欲调节激素在限制进食者异常饮食行为中的作用，3)比较限制进食者和不限制进食者对高卡路里预负荷反应的大脑激活。具体目标1将通过经典的双胞胎研究来解决，具体目标2和3将与共同双胞胎对照设计一起使用。该项目将为舒尔博士未来的研究建立一条途径，并有望为寻求了解暴饮暴食行为的临床医生和研究人员提供帮助。 华盛顿大学是舒尔博士获得实现目标所需技能的绝佳环境。培训部分使用学术资源，包括公共卫生和社区医学院、新陈代谢、内分泌和营养科以及放射科。舒尔博士的赞助商和导师都是备受推崇和尊敬的科学家。她的研究还将受益于进入NIH资助的研究中心，如普通临床研究中心。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This K23 award will allow Dr. Schur to become an independent investigator proficient in the design and conduct of interdisciplinary research on eating behavior and weight regulation. The training and research activities focus on complex environmental and genetic influences on eating habits and appetite regulation. The application proposes an intensive, 5-year program of mentored research and formal training activities to enhance Dr. Schur's skills and experience in: 1) clinical research methods and biostatistics, 2) eating behavior research, 3) physiology of appetite-regulation hormones and 4) twin research methods. In the long term, Dr. Schur will apply these skills to study the development and prevention of obesity. The research component of this career development award targets an aspect of abnormal eating behavior that has been described primarily as a psychological phenomenon. Restrained eaters are chronic dieters, some of whom are also prone to overeating. In experimental conditions, restrained eaters overeat after a high-calorie preload, such as a milkshake, whereas unrestrained eaters do not. This has been presumed to be a purely psychological effect, but physiological and genetic factors have not been investigated. Using the population-based University of Washington Twin Registry, the specific aims are to: 1) establish the genetic vs. environmental influences of restrained eating, 2) investigate the role of appetite-regulating hormones in the abnormal eating behaviors of restrained eaters and 3) compare brain activation in response to a high-calorie preload between restrained and unrestrained eaters. Specific Aim 1 will be addressed with a classical twin study and Specific Aims 2 and 3 will use with a co-twin control design. This project will establish a pathway for Dr. Schur's future investigations and hopefully benefit clinicians and researchers seeking to understand overeating behavior. The University of Washington is an exceptional environment for Dr. Schur to gain the skills needed to achieve her goals. The training component uses academic resources including the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition and Department of Radiology. Dr. Schur's sponsor and mentors are highly regarded and respected scientists. Her research also will benefit from access to NIH-funded research centers such as the General Clinical Research Center.