# A Confirmatory Efficacy Study of Interoceptive Exposure for Adolescents with Low Weight Eating Disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2024 · $782,443

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Low weight eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa, are severe psychiatric
disorders that often develop in adolescence, have a chronic course, and evidence poor response to treatment
at great public health cost. Two core features of LW-EDs are food avoidance and preoccupation with shape
and weight. Preliminary data from our initial mechanism study indicate that family based interoceptive
exposure (FBT-E) therapy reduces food avoidance, increases autonomous eating and nonjudgement body
awareness, and enhances extinction learning to aversive food cues to a greater degree than existing family-
based therapy (FBT). Feasibility data indicated high retention, treatment fidelity, and established reliable
measures of treatment adherence despite similar short-term (6-week) within-treatment changes in expected
body weight. Long-term (6-month) follow-up of these interventions in open trial indicate significantly higher
expected body weight among those having received FBT-E. Short-term and long-term changes in weight were
highly correlated with changes in expected body weight. Consequently, we will test the confirmatory efficacy of
FBT-E vs FBT and 12-month follow-up in a parallel group randomized clinical controlled trial in 120
adolescents aged 12-18. We have three specific aims, including: (1) to determine short term and long term
efficacy of FBT-E vs FBT in expected body weight, global eating disorder symptoms, and clinical impairment;
(2) to determine efficacy of FBT-E vs. FBT on laboratory measures of autonomous eating, nonjudgmental body
awareness, and extinction learning; and (3) estimate whether temporal precedence and mechanistic value
(mediation) of early changes in autonomous eating, non-judgmental body awareness, and extinction learning
on treatment effects and longitudinal outcomes. Assessments and data analyses will be blinded to treatment.
With N=120 participants (n = 60 per group) we can detect moderate sized effects for primary and secondary
outcomes. Results will provide data to support novel treatment for LW-EDs and provide theoretical robust
model for understanding pathology for children and families that suffer with LW-EDs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10772038
- **Project number:** 5R01MH131655-02
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** THOMAS B HILDEBRANDT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $782,443
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-01 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10772038

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10772038, A Confirmatory Efficacy Study of Interoceptive Exposure for Adolescents with Low Weight Eating Disorders (5R01MH131655-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-05 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10772038. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*