# Novel Executive Function Training for Obesity

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $201,249

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Current behavioral obesity treatments (e.g., behavioral weight loss; BWL) are not effective for nearly 80% of
people in the long term. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to develop novel treatments to target alternative
mechanisms that might be interfering with the success of current treatments. Growing research has identified
significant neurocognitive deficits, particularly in relation to executive function, among adults with overweight or
obesity. Compensatory Cognitive Trainings have been used to improve executive function in various
populations including schizophrenia and traumatic brain injury, as well as normal aging adults. In line with a
recent NIH Working Group Report, that concluded there is a great need for a “deeper understanding of
cognitive function” in regards to its impact on weight loss and maintenance, this application seeks to develop a
Novel Executive Function Treatment (NEXT) for obesity. NEXT will be adapted from previous compensatory
cognitive trainings and will be iteratively pilot tested with 20 adults to refine the treatment based on initial
qualitative feedback. Then, a preliminary randomized control trial will compare NEXT prior to BWL
(NEXT+BWL) to a nutrition education comparison group prior to BWL (CON+BWL) to evaluate initial feasibility
and acceptability of NEXT and NEXT+BWL. Lastly, NEXT+BWL will be compared to CON+BWL on weight
loss, attendance and executive function outcomes at post-treatment and at a 6-month follow-up. The proposed
research aims to advance the field’s understanding of current obesity treatment failure. The findings will be
used as a basis for the applicant’s future R01 proposal. The proposed study fits well with the applicant’s career
development goals. The candidate has a strong background in obesity and eating disorder research with prior
clinical training in neuropsychology. The overarching goal of this 5-year training program is to evolve the
candidate into an independent clinical scientist. The specific training goals include: 1) training in treatment
development and alternative study design to evaluate new treatments; 2) advanced training in
neuropsychology related to obesity and neuropsychological assessment, and; 3) training in advanced
statistics, with a strong focus on how to manage and analyze data for longitudinal treatment trials. The
mentorship team consists of internationally-recognized experts in obesity, compensatory cognitive treatment,
and statistics who will oversee the execution of the training plan and foster career development. Research and
training will occur at the University of California San Diego, which is a ripe environment for fostering junior
investigators through a transition to independence. This award will provide the required time, funding, and
training needed to broaden the candidate’s expertise in the obesity field while simultaneously allowing her to
become an independent investigator. As such, this proposal represents a critic...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9918337
- **Project number:** 5K23DK114480-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Dawn Eichen
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $201,249
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9918337

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9918337, Novel Executive Function Training for Obesity (5K23DK114480-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9918337. Licensed CC0.

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