Correcting the reward imbalance in binge eating: A pilot randomized trial of reward re-training treatment.
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| Abstract | 
   :  
              Behavioral treatments for psychological disorders characterized by reward-driven maladaptive behaviors (e.g., substance use disorder, eating disorders, behavioral addictions) primarily seek to reduce hyper-reward response to disorder-specific stimuli. Suboptimal outcomes for these treatments highlight the need to also target hypo-reward response to day-to-day life activities. The present study sought to conduct an initial test of a novel behavioral treatment, Reward Re-Training (RRT) to target hyper- and hypo-reward response in individuals with binge eating. Individuals with binge eating (N = 23) were randomly assigned to either 10 weeks of outpatient, group-based RRT treatment or a waitlist control. RRT was found to be feasible and acceptable, demonstrated large impacts on both hypo- and hyper-reward response (measured by self-report (pre-to post-treatment η range 0.38-0.58) and neural activation via fMRI), and was efficacious in reducing eating disorder pathology (η range 0.40-0.64, including binge eating, η = 0.64) compared to waitlist control (η range 0.00-0.04). This pilot data provides preliminary support for the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a novel treatment targeting reward imbalance for individuals with binge eating. Future evaluations of RRT may benefit from an active treatment comparison condition and a follow-up assessment to examine persistence of positive outcomes.  | 
        
| Year of Publication | 
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              2022 
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| Journal | 
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              Appetite 
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| Volume | 
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              176 
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| Number of Pages | 
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              106103 
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| Date Published | 
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              2022 
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| ISSN Number | 
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              0195-6663 
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| URL | 
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              https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195-6663(22)00194-5 
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| DOI | 
   :  
              10.1016/j.appet.2022.106103 
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| Short Title | 
   :  
              Appetite 
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