The proposed Competitive Renewal is an extension of the findings of the current grant, which elucidated many new aspects of the night eating syndrome (NES). A major theme is to build upon our recent discovery of the presence of the NES among non-obese persons. There are 4 aspects of the proposal. (1) Characterization of the NES among nonobese persons. Subjects will undergo a 10-day trial during which they will record all food intake, frequent measurements of mood and hunger, and sleep patterns (monitored with sensitive actigraphs). (2) Further characterization of night eaters of normal weight by an open-label trial of sertraline that had proved effective in an open-label trial of obese night eaters. Major criteria of improvement, as in our earlier trial, will consist of: number of awakenings, number of awakenings with ingestions, percent of food intake after supper and improvement in the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I). (3) A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a larger number (n=40) of obese night eaters utilizing the same criteria of improvement. (4) Development of a cognitive behavioral treatment for the NES. Dr. Allison, a cognitive therapist who has experience with large numbers of night eaters, has documented dysfunctional thoughts relating to their night eating. She will develop a manual for the treatment of the NES in consultation with the Beck Institute and will test its efficacy.
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