Reducing intake from large portions is of critical importance to preventing obesity. People consistently eat more when they are served larger portions, a phenomenon known as the portion size effect. The mechanisms of the portion size effect are not well understood, and investigating the underlying neurobiology that drives this phenomenon may inform the development of more effective obesity prevention programs. The proposed research will follow healthy weight children who vary by family risk for obesity to identify the neurobiological and appetitive traits that are implicated in overeating and weight gain during the critical pre-adolescent period. We expect results to confirm the hypothesis that reduced function of brain inhibitory pathways and increased activity in brain reward pathways in response to portion size cues contributes to excess intake with large portions and greater weight gain over time, particularly in children who have higher risk for obesity. The proposed studies will characterize the relationship between brain response to portion size and eating behavior and will allow us to determine whether brain and behavioral responses predict body fat gain during pre-adolescence. These studies will contribute essential information to our understanding of the pathways implicated in overeating and obesity and will facilitate the characterization of “at risk” phenotypes that can be targeted by prevention programs.

There will be seven in person visits with two DEXA measurements, one fMRI scan and five meals.

$350

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The loss of estrogen from menopause puts women at a greater risk of developing heart disease. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of drinking beetroot juice on measures of blood vessel health and blood pressure. Participants will drink beetroot juice and placebo juice each for one week followed by blood pressure measurements and ultrasound imaging of an artery in the upper arm. A sub-aim of this study is to investigate the effects of estrogen status on blood vessel function between pre- and post-menopausal women.

There are a total of 6 in-person visits to the Clinical Research Center. You will be asked to drink beetroot juice (2 oz) every day for 7 days. Participants will undergo vascular assessments, blood pressure measurements, and blood draws (11 in total for 6 visits).

$120

The study is recruiting older adults of age 60 or older in rural Central Pennsylvania to track their food insecurity, diet, mood, stress and cognitive functions in two seasonal months in the winter and in the summer. Each day, participants will use a provided survey phone to answer the survey questions on food situations, mood and stress (20-30 mins) and diet (10 - 30 mins). Participants will also be asked to complete the short cognitive assessments (<3 mins) on smart phones. Following the social distancing guideline during COVID-19 pandemic, remote virtual training will be provided via Zoom and device pick-up and return will be via USPS services. All data collection will take place at participant's home. Up to $400 study compensation in check will be provided.

There will be up to two in-person trainings. Participants will be provided a smartphone for data collection. Each data collection period last for a month. There are up to two months of data collection periods. All data collection will take place at participants' home using the provided smartphone.

Up to $400

Adolescence is a critical period during which many important healthhttps://irb.psu.edu/IRB/sd/ResourceAdministration/Project/ProjectEditor?Project=com.webridge.entity.Entity[OID[058ACDEB3E43384D816C7E390C2B83F6]]&Mode=smartform&WizardPageOID=com.webridge.entity.Entity[OID[E4552FC57E491543A6B7FD8268E23FD7]] habits form in humans. However, animal models provide mixed information about habit formation across development and there are relatively few human studies that address differences between habit formation in adolescents and adults. To address this gap, the proposed study will assess differences in habit formation in adolescents and adults as measured by the "Slips of Action" task, which seeks to discriminate between habitual and goal-directed learning of visual stimuli pairings.

There will be one in-person visit lasting about one hour. Visits will begin with informed consent. Participants will complete a computer task where they are asked to learn associations between pictures and then will be tested on the associated pairings. They will also complete questionnaires and cognitive tasks.

$20

We are investigating how the starch from pulse crops (chickpeas, lentils and dry peas) affects the gut microbiome, particularly with regards to the production of butyrate, a microbial metabolite with a number of known health benefits. We are recruiting people from two groups, those that consume a lot of these pulses and those who rarely consume them. These participants will then track their food intake for 48 hours before collecting a fecal sample which they will return to the lab. We will then use these fecal samples to conduct laboratory fermentations with pulse starches processed in a number of different ways to see what factors are important for determining the amount of butyrate that is produced. This will serve as pilot data for designing future human clinical trials.

This is dietary intervention trial that will examine the impact of consuming three different types of resistant starch on the gut microbiome and butyrate levels in normal weight and obese individuals. Participants will consume starch samples daily for 24 weeks, collecting weekly fecal samples that will be returned to the lab. Researchers will analyze the bacterial fermentation products in these samples, particularly butyrate and analyze the microbiome composition. This will allow identification of differences in resistant starch (a dietary fiber) processing between normal weight and obese individuals and will also determine if the three resistant starches tested have differing impacts on the microbiome and butyrate levels.

AWS-PSU: Active Women's Study at Penn State University This research study is being conducted to evaluate the impact of exercise and reproductive function on bone strength. Eligible young women (age 18-30) are those that are generally healthy and either a) exercising and experiencing regular or irregular menstrual cycles, or b) not exercising and experiencing regular menstrual cycles.

Serving greater food variety leads to greater intake of food, an effect known as the "variety effect". This is a well studied effect in the context of food intake but relatively little work has been done in relation to the variety effect and food selection. We are interested in whether the variety effect extends to food selections.

There will be three visits that comprise of using a VR application to make food selections for a meal. Participants will complete the first part of the survey that will collect demographic data and information about previous VR experience. On the final visit, you will be asked to complete questionnaires and will have your height and weight measured.

$30

The purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of healthcare workers’ knowledge of and perception of dysphagia in older adults. Study participants will fill out a survey/questionnaire in a single study session. This is expected to take 15-20 minutes.

You will be asked to complete a single, brief survey. It will take no more than 15-20 minutes.

This study (Mindful Moms) is being done to understand how an 8-week app-based mindfulness program called Calm impacts breastfeeding and maternal well-being. Eligible participants will be asked to complete three online surveys (each survey will take about 20 minutes) and take part in an 8-week app-based mindfulness program. Eligible participants will also be asked to take part in one online interview that will take about 25-30 minutes once the mindfulness program is over.

Participants will take part in one of two groups: A group asked to take part in a free 8-week app-based mindfulness program on their smartphone starting when they are 36 weeks pregnant or 4 weeks after delivery. The program will teach participants about mindfulness and breathing strategies to assist with calming their mind and body. or A group asked to take part in a free 8-week app-based mindfulness program on your smartphone starting 4 weeks or 12 weeks after they deliver. The program will teach participants about mindfulness and breathing strategies to assist with calming their mind and body. Participants will also be asked to complete three online surveys (each survey will take about 20 minutes) and take part in one online interview that will take about 25-30 minutes once the mindfulness program is over.

$130

This pilot study seeks to determine if formula feeding recommendations that are adjusted using age and weight specific caloric intake recommendations can prevent excessive infant weight gain and reduce overweight in the first 6 months after birth among infants born to mothers with overweight prior to pregnancy electing to exclusively formula feed their infants.

There will be 5-7 visits, where you will record formula volumes on diary cards for a total of 6 days per visit, and be given formula volume recommendations if you are in the intervention group. All participants will complete surveys when their infants are 1 and 6 months of age.

$300

This study looks at understanding eating behaviors and attitudes toward food in children/adolescents. More specifically the study's goal is to compare those with and without food allergies to gain a better understanding of a possible underlying factor towards certain behaviors. Children and their caregivers will complete a survey composed of a short section on the child's medical history regarding allergies followed with questions in commonly used clinical assessments.

Average global temperatures and the number of heat waves have increased recently. Humans sweat and increase blood flow to the skin to cool their body when they get hot. Older adults (>65 yrs) do not do this as well as younger adults. This makes them at risk for heat-related illnesses. It is important to learn about cooling strategies that will lower body temperature for older adults in the heat. In this study, we will determine if placing your hands and forearms in cold water and/or supplementation with folic acid are effective cooling strategies for older adults resting in the heat.

There will be 4 in-person visits in a hot and humid environment, there will be folic acid supplementation and placebo for 6 weeks each

300

This is a questionnaire study that seeks to discover the prevalence of food insecurity at PSU's University Park campus over the course of a semester and the relationship between long-term food insecurity and academic outcomes, as mediated by mental health and sleep outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to assess if a healthy diet containing cottonseed oil improves markers of heart and metabolic health compared to healthy diets containing other commonly consumed plant oils. Participants will be asked to consume three different healthy diets containing plant oils for 28 days each, with a minimum 1-month break between the three diets. Measurements of blood markers (sugar, insulin, cholesterol), blood pressure, and heart health, will be done at the start of the study and the end of each diet period.

In this study, you will be asked to consume three different diets for 28 days each. The diets will be provided and include 3 meals, 2 snacks and beverages daily. These diets will meet your energy and nutrient needs. You will be asked not to eat any foods outside of what is provided by the study. You will have a minimum 1-month break between the three diets. Testing will be conducted on two consecutive days at the start of the study, and the end of each of the three diet periods (a total of 8 testing days). For these visits, you will need to fast for 12 hours prior and avoid alcohol for 48 hours prior. At these visits, we will take a blood draw, measure your body weight, and perform non-invasive tests to assess your vascular health.

500

Poor maternal nutrition is linked to poor birth outcomes. Current vitamin and mineral recommendations in pregnancy are based on limited data mostly from animal models and non-pregnant people. This study seeks to improve our understanding of the amounts of vitamins and minerals that are needed during pregnancy, to improve the health of women and newborns, especially in low-and middle-income countries. Nutrients travel around the body in blood, therefore part of the research is to understand how much blood and the watery component of blood (plasma) increases in pregnancy. This is a collaborative study with George Washington University (lead PI is there). The Penn State team will conduct pilot work to establish a method for measuring plasma volume in 2 phases. In phase 1, nonpregnant will be asked to attend one visit and plasma volume will be measured by injecting indocyanine-green (ICG, a green dye) and hydroxyethyl starch (HES, a form of starch) through an IV in the arm. In phase 2, pregnant women will be asked to attend 2 visits that are 4 weeks apart, but only HES (the starch) will be injected. For both phases (1 and 2), blood draws will occur at each visit and other non-invasive measurements will also be taken (e.g. weight, height, blood pressure). Each visit should take less than 2 hours and will be conducted at the Clinical Research Center in Noll Laboratory on the Penn State campus.

In phase 1, nonpregnant will be asked to attend one visit and plasma volume will be measured by injecting indocyanine-green (ICG, a green dye) and hydroxyethyl starch (HES, a form of starch) through an IV in the arm. In phase 2, pregnant women will be asked to attend 2 visits that are 4 weeks apart, but only HES (the starch) will be injected. For both phases (1 and 2), blood draws will occur at each visit and other non-invasive measurements will also be taken (e.g. weight, height, blood pressure). Each visit should take less than 2 hours and will be conducted at the Clinical Research Center in Noll Laboratory on the Penn State campus.

$50 per visit

The purpose of this trial is to test different levels of exercise needed to reduce liver fat in patients with NASH.

If you take part in this research, your major responsibilities will include: •Completing exercise sessions (if randomized to exercise group). A typical exercise session will include a 5 minutes warm-up with stretching, 15-45 minutes of brisk walking, jogging or recumbent bike and a 5-minute cool-down.

250.00

The purpose of this study is to investigate psychobiological factors that impact the development and manifestation of eating disorder (ED) pathology in elite male and female athletes before and during their competitive season.

The purpose of this voluntary research study is to assess how changes in stress, cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, and reward delay predict the trajectory of eating disorder behaviors and associated side effects of energy deficiency from the off-season compared to the competitive season. Your participation in this study will last approximately the duration of one season of your sport, specifically 4-weeks of data collection prior to season commencement (baseline), 4-weeks of data collection during peak competition season, and 4-weeks of data collection during off-season. The total time spent in the lab will be approximately 10-14 hours. Procedures will occur three times and measurements will be taken twice following baseline measures (once during the peak competition season, once during off-season), if you agree to do so.

$50

Rates of obesity have risen sharply throughout the world over the past several decades. The increase in the availability of highly palatable, high-calorie foods may be one factor that has contributed to this trend. That is, the availability of such foods may lead to their over-consumption and corresponding weight gain. Currently, relatively little is known about how the availability of foods, per se, affects things such as the motivation to eat and the ability to resist doing so. The current study is designed to help address this knowledge gap by examining the effects of food availability in people with high levels of dietary restraint. Dietary restraint, which refers to the intention to restrict food intake deliberately in order to prevent weight gain or to promote weight, is linked to problematic patterns of eating. This project uses laboratory tasks and brain imaging to study the effects of food availability on various outcomes, including food choices, food craving, and responses in brain areas linked to motivation.

Participants will be asked to fill out some online questionnaires and complete some computerized behavioral tasks. They will be asked to attend a one-hour virtual screening/baseline session via Zoom, and a 3-hour MRI session in the Penn State campus, University Park. In the MRI session, participants will be performing on a task involving asking them to view a series of colorful food pictures inside an MRI scanner while their brain activity is being scanned.

80

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of cardiometabolic disease risk factors on cognitive performance and brain vascular function, as well as, to see if beetroot juice supplementation can improve these outcomes and reduce risk of cognitive decline and brain vascular dysfunction that is seen with aging and disease.

Participants with and without high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar will be recruited. These are all considered cardiovascular disease risk factors.Individuals without multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors will have 2 visits and complete cognitive and blood vessel function assessments. There involves a blood draw in each visit. All study assessments are non-invasive. Total compensation is $30. Individuals with cardiovascular disease risk factors will have 5 total visits and complete cognitive and blood vessel function assessments. Additionally, participants will drink beetroot juice for 4 weeks to determine the potential health benefits on cognitive, blood vessel function, and metabolic health. There will involve blood draws and all assessments are non-invasive. Total compensation is up to $170.

$30 -170

This is a behavioral and neuroimaging study that will examine how food commercials affect the way a child eats and responds to food. Children enrolled in the study will complete 5 in-lab sessions that include eating meals and snacks, watching TV, and playing computer games. For one of these sessions, children will complete an fMRI scan. On the first and last visit to the lab, children will receive a DXA scan to assess their body composition.

We are looking for children to help us learn about how kids respond to different types of foods and food advertisements. The study consists of 5 visits to our facilities in Noll and Chandlee Labs, located on the University Park Campus. For 3 visits your child will eat test meals and snack buffets in our laboratory. On 1 visit we will use fMRI to take pictures of your child’s brain. We will use a DXA to scan for lean muscle and conduct an IQ test. These procedures are not harmful. You and your child will fill out questionnaires.Your child will also play computer games and watch commercials.

$250.00-450.00

This human study will test the impact of dietary supplement vegicaps containing Korean Angelica root extract on 2 types of human immune cells: neutrophils that kill bacteria and other germs and natural killer (NK) cells that kill virus-infected cells and cancers. We had done an earlier study with Korean Angelica supplement and discovered even a single dose of it increased blood neutrophils and NK cells within 24 h. In the new study, Korean Angelica capsules (Cogni.Q) will be compared head-to-head with dummy (placebo) capsules. This is to make sure the immune boosting actions are really from the Korean Angelica supplement.Approximately 40 men will take part in this research study at Hershey Medical Center.

This study aims to measure child eating behavior at home. Parents will video record their child eat 3 meals at home using a smart phone device and then take pictures of food storage locations (e.g., fridge, pantry). Videos will be coded for child eating behaviors. Parents will complete baseline and follow-up questionnaires. Children will wear an activity watch (like a Fitbit) for 1 week. In addition to these study procedures, there is an optional urine sample collection for children in order to study urinary metabolites as a marker of diet.

You will be asked to video record your child eating 3 meals at home and to take photos of food storage locations in your home (e.g., fridge, pantry).

$75 and an optional $25 for completing the urine sample collection

Only 50% of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) recover insulin secretion function after 3 months of initial diagnosis, and this phase is called partial remission (PR) of T1D, also called "Honeymoon phase". During this PR phase of T1D, patients recover the ability to secrete more than 50% of their insulin secretion function. This phase of PR typically lasts no longer than 6 or up to12 months, and has been frequently defined as requiring exogenous insulin below 0.5 units per kilogram per day, and hemoglobin A1C is typically below 7.5%. Most recently the use of a coefficient called IDAA1C ≤ 9 has became more accepted as the methodology to determine the development of partial clinical remission of T1D (honeymoon phase). Prior data published by the SEARCH study (national epidemiological study) showed that youth with prolonged honeymoon phase had higher intake of omega -3 fatty acids, vitamin D intake and leucine intake than those youth without prolonged honeymoon phase of T1D. Currently, there are not approved medications to prolong this phase of partial remission of type 1 diabetes, however inducing PR in youth with T1D could potentially decrease the risk of multi-organ damage caused by chronic severe hyperglycemia associated to the chronic hyperglycemia related to T1D.We aim to perform a case- multiple control study between youth with prolonged partial remission phase of T1D after one year of diagnosis, and compare these youths with multiple controls matched by age, gender, race, and puberty stage to study the potential protective factors associated to the development of prolonged partial remission of T1D.

Participants will be approached at their routine Pediatric diabetes clinic appointment. If participants agrees to be in the research, informed consent/assent will be reviewed and signed by all parties. Participant's parent/guardian will be asked to complete a questionnaire. The participant's glucose machine/insulin pump will be downloaded for study purposes. Participant will undergo a fingerstick and a blood draw to collect specific lab values as outlined in the consent.

$35.00

This study will examine the relationships among time-of-day, light exposure, and stress markers. Physiological measures of stress will be assessed both in and out of the laboratory using a gold-standard emotion induction task, along with out-of-lab questionnaires and ambulatory sensors.

This is a week-long study consisting of two in-person visits and five out-of-lab days. During the in-person visits, you will be connected to equipment that measures your physiological data and participate in a task with different sounds. During the out-of-lab days, you will wear a sensor that will collect your physiological data and answer questionnaires.

$135

This study aims to assess energy status in young sedentary and exercising women as it is related to menstrual status, bone health, psychological health, sleep variables, and cardiovascular function.

There will be three to four visits to the laboratory. Procedures include questionnaires, a blood draw, providing a hair sample, providing two saliva samples, cardiovascular measurements, and bone scans, as well as resting metabolic rate, cognitive, aerobic fitness, and countermovement jump testing. Participants will be asked to collect urine samples throughout one menstrual cycle, or 28 days for amenorrheic females. Exercise and physical activity will be recorded and monitored for seven days via logs and wearables. Food intake will be recorded for three days. Collegiate athletes will be tested twice; in-season and off-season.

The purpose of this research study is to determine if a healthy diet containing 2 eggs/day has similar effects on risk factors for heart disease as a healthy diet containing 3 eggs/week.

This study runs for about 3 months. During this time, you will be provided with two diets in random order to consume for 28 days. These diets will meet your energy and nutrient needs and include 3 meals, 2 snacks and some beverages. During this time, we will ask you not to eat any foods outside of those provided by the study. You will have a 1-month break between the two diets. Testing will be conducted on two separate days at the beginning and end of each diet period (a total of 8 testing days). For these visits, you will need to fast for 12 hours prior and avoid alcohol for 48 hours prior. At these visits, we will take a blood draw, measure your body weight, and perform non-invasive tests to assess your vascular health.

400

The prevention of obesity is a far more effective approach than treating obesity after it has developed. Researchers and medical providers need better tools to identify risk factors for developing obesity, so families and their physicians can work to reduce a child's risk. This proposed study tests whether a novel risk score (PACE) is good at predicting if children will develop obesity. The PACE Score combines the measures of sensitivity to portion size, behavior while hungry or craving, loss of control during eating, and eating speed. This study will follow children in middle childhood through four visits, followed by two visits one year later. We will identify the components of PACE as well as biological and environmental factors that may work with or against the PACE factors to predict how children's body composition changes over a year.

Four baseline visits followed by two follow-up visits one year laterChildren will be provided meals at each visitChildren and parents will complete questionnairesChildren will have a DXA scan and an MRI scanChildren will play learning games on the computerChildren will wear an activity monitor for one weekChildren will perform brief and moderate exercise while wearing a heart rate monitor

$300

We want to understand how a child's environment affects biology in ways that impact child health

The project involves completing three Penn State ChildHealth Days on the University Park Campus in StateCollege, PA 2 years apart. Your child will receive a comprehensivehealth screening and you will be asked to completeseveral assessments about your child’s physical healthand emotional well-being. Travel and hotel costs arefree for eligible families.

520

The aim is to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of culinary focused nutrition education to promote increased adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans compared to standard low-intensity care.

You will be asked to attend two fasting clinic visits. At these visits paperwork will be completed, measures of weight, height, waist circumference, and vascular health will be taken. A blood draw will also be taken. If you are randomized to the culinary focused nutrition education group, you will be asked to attend weekly 1-hour face-to-face group education sessions during the first month of the study. For months 2 and 3 face-to-face sessions will be held bi-weekly for 1 hour. You will also receive emails containing videos and other resources. If you are in the standard nutrition education group, you will receive nutrition education via written study material and a phone application (app) and you will not have to attend education visits.

250