B3365 - Specifying Risk for Driven Exercise in Eating Disorders - 02/09/2019

B number: 
B3365
Principal applicant name: 
Katherine Schaumberg | University of Wisconsin - Madison (USA)
Co-applicants: 
Dr. Nadia Micali, Dr. Cynthia Bulik
Title of project: 
Specifying Risk for Driven Exercise in Eating Disorders
Proposal summary: 

Physical activity can be rewarding and lead to anxiety reduction, and physical activity levels in the general population are heritable, suggesting individual differences in the degree to which physical activity is reinforcing via biobehavioral pathways. Increases in physical activity are often associated with positive mental health outcomes, though more is not always better. For example, up to 40% of individuals with bulimia nervosa and up to 60% of those with anorexia nervosa present with driven exercise (exercising in a driven manner to control weight and shape). Driven exercise is a serious, concerning, and understudied eating disorder symptom. Existing research points towards compulsivity and general propensity to exercise as potential risk factors for driven exercise. At present, our understanding of the developmental etiology of driven exercise is poor, and the extent to which this symptom relates to patterns of PA during development is unknown.
We will examine risk for driven exercise in the ALSPAC cohort by identifying trajectories of physical activity during development and identifying whether these trajectories associate with driven exercise and eating disorder diagnoses in adolescence and emerging adulthood. We will then investigate the developmental timing and predictive strength of driven exercise in relation to eating disorder onset and maintenance. Finally, we will evaluate the degree to which genetic risk profiles inform risk for driven exercise.

Impact of research: 
At present, we know relatively little about the etiology of driven exercise, its relationship to premorbid activity levels, or how to manage this symptom in the context of ED treatment and recovery. In addition, we do not understand factors that contribute to the substantial variability in physical activity among those with EDs, and why only a portion of individuals present with the symptom of driven exercise. Given the critical need to improve early identification of and treatment for individuals with eating disorders, and even more-so for those who engage in driven exercise, enhancing our understanding of the risk for and development of driven exercise is paramount. Identifying associations between driven exercise, physical activity patterns, eating disorder onset, and the genetic architecture of driven exercise could point towards relevant biological mechanism(s), aid in early identification of at-risk youths, and ultimately inform therapeutic activity recommendations during eating disorder recovery. Further, this research will offer a blueprint for studying other presentations of physical activity dysregulation present in developmental psychopathology (e.g. hyperactivity, restlessness), and clarifying the degree to which various activity symptoms arise from shared versus unique risk.
Date proposal received: 
Sunday, 1 September, 2019
Date proposal approved: 
Monday, 2 September, 2019
Keywords: 
Mental health - Psychology, Psychiatry, Cognition, Behaviour - e.g. antisocial behaviour, risk behaviour, etc., Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, Mental health, Statistical methods, BMI, Genetic epidemiology, Psychology - personality, Physical - activity, fitness, function