# A Twin Study of Androgen Effects on Binge Eating Risk during Puberty in Males

> **NIH NIH R01** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $728,435

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Binge eating (BE) occurs in most eating disorders and at significant rates in the community, including among
children and adolescents. The chronic course of BE and significant psychiatric and medical morbidity further
attest to its public health significance. Critically, although males account for up to one-half of BE cases, there is
a paucity of research exploring risk for BE in males and studies exploring biological factors are nearly non-
existent. Adrenal and gonadal androgens are one set of male-specific biological factors that may be critical
given that they drive sexual differentiation and pubertal development in males, they cause changes in palatable
food intake in animals, and they are potent regulators of gene transcription within neurobiological systems
relevant to BE. Moreover, animal studies and our preliminary human data show that lower levels of androgens
(e.g., testosterone) are predictive of higher phenotypic levels of BE and stronger genetic influences on BE in
males during puberty, but no large-scale study has examined these biological processes. Larger-scale studies
that span the full range of pubertal maturation (e.g., adrenarche through gonadarche) and comprehensively
assess adrenal and gonadal androgens are a necessary next step that will enhance scientific Rigor and
provide critical Reproducibility and translational data. The long-term objective of the proposed work is to
identify the role of androgens on phenotypic and genetic risk for BE in boys during puberty. The Specific Aims
are to: 1) examine whether lower levels of adrenal and/or gonadal androgens contribute to BE in boys during
puberty; and 2) examine if genetic factors are mechanisms that drive phenotypic effects of adrenal and
gonadal androgens on BE in boys during puberty. Participants will include 1,000 same-sex male twins (ages 7-
17) recruited through the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Questionnaires and interviews will be
administered to the twins and at least one parent to assess BE, other mood/behavioral symptoms (e.g., mood,
anxiety), and the physical changes of puberty. Salivary samples will be collected and assayed for adrenal and
gonadal androgen levels. Multilevel structural equation models will be used to examine the phenotypic effects
of adrenal and gonadal androgens on BE during puberty. Latent twin moderation models will examine the
extent to which lower levels of adrenal and gonadal androgens are associated with stronger genetic effects on
BE during puberty. All analyses will also explore whether observed effects are independent of other factors
(i.e., adiposity, anxiety, depression) that change during puberty and are associated with androgens and BE.
Findings from our innovative, multi-method project have the potential to significantly increase understanding of
the causes of BE in boys by identifying androgens as novel neurobiological factors that contribute to BE.
Greater insight into etiological mechanisms of BE in b...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869042
- **Project number:** 5R01MH118848-02
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristen Culbert
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $728,435
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-15 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869042

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869042, A Twin Study of Androgen Effects on Binge Eating Risk during Puberty in Males (5R01MH118848-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869042. Licensed CC0.

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