# Evaluating the Impact of Restrictive Eating Disorders on White Matter Development

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $420,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
In this application for a Stephen I. Katz Early Investigator Research Project Grant, the principal investigator, Dr.
Amanda E. Lyall, proposes a project that will support a new research direction for her career: the transition from
the use of neuroimaging to study psychotic disorders to the investigation of restrictive eating disorders. The over-
arching goal of this application is to comprehensively characterize the impact of restrictive eating disorders on
white matter development. This study will leverage unique access to extant neuroimaging, clinical, blood, and
dietary intake data collected under 4 parent NIMH grant mechanisms (R01MH103402; R01MH108595;
R01MH116205; K23MH125143) at the Eating Disorders Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General
Hospital, Harvard Medical School. We will use our well-validated diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI)
harmonization framework to combine these data with 2 publicly available dMRI datasets of healthy controls: The
Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort and The Human Connectome Project – Young Adult, yielding a cohort
of harmonized imaging data spanning the period of white matter development from ages 9 to 40 years. With
these data, we will examine the trajectories of global and region-specific white matter development using
advanced dMRI analysis tools between healthy controls and individuals with restrictive eating disorders (Aim 1).
Next, we will determine the extent to which age or pubertal stage modifies the relationship between potential
white matter alterations in individuals with restrictive eating disorders and the duration of dietary restriction (Aim
2). Finally, we will evaluate the extent to which total caloric and/or specific nutritional deficiencies that arise
because of severe dietary restriction impact white matter development (Aim 3). We believe that the information
generated within this proposal will provide a critical first step in developing a knowledge base about the impact
of severe dietary restriction on brain development. This proposal will provide an opportunity to identify vulnerable
periods where therapeutic interventions may be necessary or have the most impact. Additionally, the results of
this study may also provide a foundation for future work to test the effectiveness and tolerability of novel
applications of non-invasive individualized therapies centering on improving white matter health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10897915
- **Project number:** 5R01MH130781-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Marek Kubicki
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $420,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10897915

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10897915, Evaluating the Impact of Restrictive Eating Disorders on White Matter Development (5R01MH130781-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10897915. Licensed CC0.

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