Neural Correlates of Autistic Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Autism, Anorexia Nervosa

In brief

Masking is a behaviour or strategy used by many Autistic people to appear non-Autistic and blend in with a neurotypical society. The goal of this observational study is to understand the relationship between masking, anorexia nervosa symptoms and brain structure in Autistic people. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Do Autistic individuals with anorexia nervosa show differences in structure or function of the brain relation to Autistic individuals without anorexia nervosa? * Do Autistic individuals with anorexia nervosa display higher levels of masking than Autistic individuals without anorexia nervosa? * Are there indeed relationships between levels of masking, anorexia nervosa symptoms and brain structure in Autistic people? Researchers will compare Autistic people without anorexia nervosa to Autistic people with anorexia nervosa to see if there are differences between groups. Participants will: * Complete a series of questionnaires focused on eating disorder symptoms, autistic traits, autistic masking and psychological well-being * Undergo an MRI scan at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07098156

Run by

University of Aberdeen

People needed

50

Starts

2025-07-15

Expected to finish

2026-07-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-05

Who can join

Age: 25 and older, up to 45. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Healthy Autistic Individuals (Autistic Controls) must:
• Be aged 25-45 years
• Be Autistic (clinically diagnosed and/or have an Autism Quotient (AQ-10) score of ≥6)
• Be able to provide informed consent for the study
• Be able to read, understand and respond to questionnaires in English
• Have no history of an eating disorder
• Willing to have an MRI scan in Aberdeen
• Autistic Individuals with anorexia nervosa must:
• Be aged 25-45 years
• Be Autistic (clinically diagnosed and/or have an AQ-10 score of ≥6)
• Be able to provide informed consent to the study
• Be able to read, understand and respond to questionnaires in English
• Have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa or a body mass index of <18.5
• Willing to have an MRI scan in Aberdeen

You may not qualify if…

• Individuals are not eligible for the study if they:
• Are aged <25 or >45 years
• Are not Autistic or not clinically diagnosed as Autistic and have an AQ-10 score of <6
• Are diagnosed with an eating disorder other than anorexia nervosa
• Have a history of brain injury (e.g., stroke)
• Be unable to provide informed consent for the study
• Have contraindications to MRI scanning, such has implantable cardiac devices
• Are unable to read, understand and respond to questionnaires in English
• As participants will need to consent to the study and complete questionnaires by themselves, individuals with intellectual disability will be excluded from this study

Where it is running

• Lilian Sutton Building — Aberdeen, Aberdeen City, United Kingdom (enrolling)
• NHS Grampian Eating Disorder Services — Aberdeen, Aberdeen City, United Kingdom (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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