Adults 18 to 65, any sex, with Bulimia Nervosa or Bulimia; Atypical. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov
Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.
Binge Eating Frequency Assessed by the Eating Disorder ExaminationPrimary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Frequency (number of instances) of binge eating over the past 28 days assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination
Binge Eating Frequency at Pretreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
25.10
± 22.56
Supportive Therapy
25.27
± 19.09
Binge Eating Frequency at Mid-treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
9.19
± 13.95
Supportive Therapy
13.07
± 15.25
Binge Eating Frequency at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
8.94
± 12.10
Supportive Therapy
8.17
± 8.67
Binge Eating Frequency at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
6.38
± 16.77
Supportive Therapy
4.35
± 6.54
Global Eating PathologyPrimary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
The Eating Disorder Examination is a semi-structured interview that measures eating. pathology. The EDE yields a total eating pathology score that will be used as an outcome variable. Global eating pathology is on a 0-6 point scale with higher scores indicating more significant eating pathology.
EDE Global Score at Prettreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
2.72
± 0.91
Supportive Therapy
2.70
± 0.99
EDE Global Score at Mid-treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
2.21
± 0.96
Supportive Therapy
2.10
± 0.96
EDE Global Score at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
1.87
± 0.89
Supportive Therapy
1.98
± 0.78
EDE Global Score at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
1.43
± 0.93
Supportive Therapy
2.04
± 0.95
Remission StatusPrimary· Each assessment time point after treatment completion (Posttreatment (Week 10) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment).
A participant is considered to be in remission if they had no loss of control eating episodes or compensatory behaviors in the past 28 days, as well as an EDE global score less than 1.74 (which is within one standard deviation of community norms).
Remission at Posstreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
4
Supportive Therapy
1
Remission at 3-month follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
7
Supportive Therapy
6
Compensatory Behavior Frequency Assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE)Primary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Frequency ( number of instances) of compensatory behaviors assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination
Compensatory Behavior Frequency at Pretreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
5.62
± 7.60
Supportive Therapy
6.20
± 12.03
Compensatory Behavior Frequency at Mid-treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
4.10
± 6.83
Supportive Therapy
4.02
± 7.57
Compensatory Behavior Frequency at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
2.52
± 5.60
Supportive Therapy
2.87
± 7.78
Compensatory Behavior Frequency at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
1.91
± 5.28
Supportive Therapy
3.35
± 8.26
Depressive Symptoms as Assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory-IISecondary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Assesses the type (description of certain feelings or attitudes) and intensity (how often or how much the feelings and attitudes are present) of various depressive symptoms using a total score. The scale ranges from 0-63 with higher scores indicating worse depressive symptoms.
BDI Score at Pretreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
15.83
± 11.10
Supportive Therapy
18.87
± 10.38
BDI Score at Mid-treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
10.19
± 10.87
Supportive Therapy
14.95
± 8.75
BDI Score at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
9.57
± 10.70
Supportive Therapy
13.30
± 10.89
BDI Score at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
7.94
± 9.32
Supportive Therapy
17.02
± 4.51
Substance Use Assessed by the NIDA-Modified ASSISTSecondary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Frequency of substance use (number of days/month) assessed by the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST).
Frequency of Substance Use at Pretreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
3.00
± 4.70
Supportive Therapy
2.83
± 4.00
Frequency of Substance Use at Mid-treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
3.31
± 4.95
Supportive Therapy
2.50
± 3.70
Frequency of Substance Use at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
2.93
± 6.29
Supportive Therapy
2.03
± 3.70
Frequency of Substance Use at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
2.90
± 5.64
Supportive Therapy
2.57
± 4.57
Quality of Life Assessed by the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI)Secondary· Each assessment time point throughout treatment (Pretreatment (Baseline), Mid-treatment (Week 5), Posttreatment (Week 10)) and a 3-month post-treatment follow-up assessment.
Assesses the importance of 16 given life domains have on influencing happiness and current satisfaction level regarding these 16 life domains. Scores range from 1-77 with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
QOLI Scores at Pretreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
15.48
± 1.96
Supportive Therapy
15.59
± 2.11
QOLI Scores at Mid-Treatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
16.04
± 1.50
Supportive Therapy
15.92
± 2.04
QOLI Scores at Posttreatment
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
16.33
± 1.60
Supportive Therapy
16.32
± 1.89
QOLI Scores at 3-month Follow-up
Group
Value
95% CI
Reward Re-Training
16.16
± 1.84
Supportive Therapy
16.22
± 1.99
Sponsor's own description
In the current study, the investigators will revise our existing 10-session group RRT treatment manual to specifically address the challenges in building social support and enhancing both momentary and sustained reward during the COVID-19 pandemic (Preliminary Aim 1). In months 2-18, the investigators will conduct a small pilot RCT that will randomize individuals to receive either 10-sessions of RRT (n=30) or supportive therapy (n=30), both delivered as group-treatments via videoconferencing software. The specific aims of the current study are to confirm the feasibility and acceptability of RRT for EDs (Primary Aim 1), evaluate the ability of RRT to engage critical targets including reward to day-to-day life activities, reward to palatable foods, social isolation, and loneliness (Primary Aim 2), and provide preliminary estimates of efficacy in reducing ED symptoms at both post-treatment and a 3-month follow-up (Primary Aim 3). the investigators will also evaluate the impact of RRT on secondary outcome variables including depression, substance use, and quality of life (Secondary Aim 1).
Publications & conference data
2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by Drexel University
Last refreshed: 21 March 2024
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT04661410.