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Principal Investigator: Emily Choquette
Organization: LAUREATE INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN RESEARCH
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $158,035
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
PROJECT ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
Dr. Emily Choquette is applying for the Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23) to
support her growth as an independent researcher focusing on understanding the pathophysiology of body
image disturbance (BID). BID is a key diagnostic feature of AN that is associated with poor outcomes including
relapse following hospital discharge. Perceptual BID is a complex process involving the integration of bodily
signals (interoception), afferent visual stimuli, and mental representations of one's body. Specifically, there is
evidence that BID is related to an imbalance of sensitivity to interoceptive and exteroceptive signaling in AN,
which facilitates self-objectification (seeing one's body as an object) and results in an inaccurate representation
of the body (i.e., perceiving one's body as larger than its true size). The proposed study will be the first to
systematically examine associations between BID and interoception using several levels of analysis (i.e., self-
report and behavioral assays) combined with perturbations of interoceptive (i.e., Reduced Environmental
Stimulation Therapy via floatation) and cognitive (i.e., acceptance based cognitive principles) processing to
examine the causal role of interoception on perceptual BID. The aims of the current project are to (1) examine
how a cognitive versus interoceptive intervention paired with cognitive manipulation acutely changes
BID in AN; (2) determine cross-sectional multimodal associations between interoception and BID in
AN; and (3) explore longitudinal associations and mechanistic mediators of BID change in AN. The
current project will use a randomized parallel-group experimental therapeutic design to explore a mechanistic
framework suggesting disrupted interoceptive processing produces disturbed body image. This project will
advance current scientific knowledge of the relationship between BID and interoception and pave the way for
future mechanistically informed treatment techniques for BID in eating disorders. The rigorous training plan
proposed by Dr. Choquette includes formal course work, didactics, and mentorship from a team of highly
qualified mentors and consultants. These training activities will allow Dr. Choquette to develop an expertise in
psychophysiology research methodology, advanced statistics, and content area expertise needed to progress
towards independence as a clinical scientist. The training location, Laureate Institute for Brain Research
(LIBR), is a state-of-the-art research institution with a history of supporting early career scientists transition to
independence. Further, LIBR is home to the Float Clinic and Research Lab and co-located with the Laureate
Eating Disorder Program which will facilitate completion of the proposed project. The current project will be the
next logical and imperative step in Dr. Choquette's career and will support her pursuit of her career goal of
developing mechanistically informed treatments for BID in eating disorders.
Terms: <Acute><Address><Affect><Affective><Age><Anorexia Nervosa><Appearance><Assay><Attenuated><Auditory><BMI><BMI percentile><BMI z-score><Behavioral><Behavioral Assay><Bioassay><Biological Assay><Body Image><Body mass index><Brain><Brain Nervous System><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Cell Communication and Signaling><Cell Signaling><Cessation of life><Characteristics><Clinic><Clinical><Clinical Trials><Cognition Therapy><Cognitive><Cognitive Psychotherapy><Cognitive Therapy><Cognitive treatment><Complex><Death><Death Rate><Development><Diagnostic><Dysfunction><Eating Disorders><Education for Intervention><Educational Intervention><Encephalon><Experimental Therapies><Functional disorder><Future><Generalized Growth><Goals><Group Practice><Growth><History><Home><Hospital Admission><Hospitalization><Hospitals><Individual><Inpatients><Institution><Instruction Intervention><Interoception><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Intracellular Communication and Signaling><Investigational Therapies><Investigational Treatments><Investigators><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><Knowledge><Link><Location><Measures><Mediation><Mediator><Mental disorders><Mental health disorders><Mentors><Mentorship><Modeling><Negotiating><Negotiation><Non-pharmacologic Therapy><Nonpharmacologic Intervention><Nonpharmacologic Therapy><Nonpharmacologic approach><Nonpharmacologic treatment><Outcome><Participant><Patient Self-Report><Photography><Physiologic Psychology><Physiological Psychology><Physiopathology><Process><Psychiatric Disease><Psychiatric Disorder><Psychophysiological><Psychophysiology><Psychotherapy><Qualifying><Quetelet index><Randomized><Recording of previous events><Relapse><Research><Research Career Program><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Researchers><Role><Scientist><Self-Report><Signal Transduction><Signal Transduction Systems><Signaling><Standardization><Symptoms><Tactile><Techniques><Testing><Tissue Growth><Training><Training Activity><Training Intervention><Treatment outcome><United States><Vestibular><Visual><Weight><Woman><Work><active comparator><active comparison control><ages><arm><attenuate><attenuates><biological signal transduction><body dissatisfaction><body perception><brain research><career><cognitive behavior intervention><cognitive behavior modification><cognitive behavior therapy><cognitive behavioral intervention><cognitive behavioral modification><cognitive behavioral therapy><cognitive behavioral treatment><cognitive enhancement><cognitive training><design><designing><develop therapy><developmental><experience><experimental group><experimental therapeutic agents><experimental therapeutics><histories><homes><improved><indexing><instructional intervention><intervention development><interventional strategy><mental illness><mental representation><mortality rate><mortality ratio><multi-modality><multimodality><non-drug therapy><non-drug treatment><nondrug therapy><nondrug treatment><novel><ontogeny><pathophysiology><patient centered><patient oriented><physiopsychology><post intervention><power analysis><primary end point><primary endpoint><programs><psychiatric illness><psycho-physiological><psychological disorder><randomisation><randomization><randomly assigned><recruit><research and methods><research facility><social role><standard of care><statistics><therapeutic target><therapy development><training module><trait><treatment development><vestibular system><visual stimulus><weights>