Bakkour Lab
Principal Investigator: Akram Bakkour
Institution: University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Primary Subfield: Neuroscience
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Project Summary Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder with a mortality rate among the highest of any psychiatric illness. Identifying modifiable targets for the development of novel AN interventions is crucial because leading treatments achieve remission rates of less than 50%, and relapse is common. One aspect of AN that likely contributes to poor long-term outcomes is maladaptive food choice, i.e., the persistent and stereotyped choice of low-calorie, low-fat foods. Food choice requires individuals to construct the subjective value of foods from a number of attributes. Yet, despite the centrality of food choice in AN, little is known about how people with AN construct the subjective values placed on foods, leading to maladaptive food-choice behavior. The overall goal of this research is to elucidate the cognitive and neural mechanisms that contribute to subjective food valuation in AN. Leveraging fMRI, eyetracking, and computational models that have advanced understanding of decision-making in healthy individuals, we propose two studies to examine: (1) how individuals with AN combine across attributes to construct subjective value for food; (2) how the cognitive and…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01MH132792-04: Constructing the subjective value of food in Anorexia Nervosa (2026)
- 5R01MH132792-03: Constructing the subjective value of food in Anorexia Nervosa (2025)
- 5R01MH132792-02: Constructing the subjective value of food in Anorexia Nervosa (2024)
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