Weight Wellness Education Intervention
This was an interventional study for overweight individuals interested in losing weight designed to determine whether group-based psychoeducation regarding the primitive brain and model of safety could have an impact on psychiatric symptoms of depression and anxiety, weight loss, eating behaviors, sleeping patterns, activity level, and health-related quality of life. The purpose of the study was to determine if psychological symptoms are responsive to psychoeducation and if clinical symptom changes related to weight and quality of life are affected.
Participants attended eight weekly sessions of a group psychoeducational intervention. They completed homework assignments and online questionnaires, and participated in guided group discussions led by clinicians at UT Southwestern.
Social Connectedness in Transitional Age Youth
Samia Kate Arthur-Bentil, MD
Co-Investigator
The purpose of this project was to determine whether a virtual group intervention couldlead to the development of social connectedness among transitional age youth (TAY) subjects with anxiety and mood disorders via guided team-building activities that promote neutral interpersonal dialogue and creative engagement.
This project enrolled transitional age (18-28-year-old) patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders who were seen for medication management and/or psychotherapy in the UT Southwestern outpatient clinic system.
Gut-Brain Axis Research
Brooks Brodrick, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
UT Southwestern Medical Center
The gut microbiota are microorganisms that reside in the intestinal tract, and differ in humans based on their environmental exposures, such as antibiotic use, dietary experiences in childhood, and body mass index. The gut microbiome has been linked to alterations in metabolism, body mass index, and mood symptoms, and has been proposed as a mediator related to both stress and neuroinflammation.
This pilot project measured inflammatory cytokines and the gut microbiota in three groups of women: those with current or past anorexia nervosa, those with bulimia nervosa, and healthy controls. Our aim was to evaluate whether gut microbiota differed among the three groups and whether inflammation was related to psychiatric symptoms of eating disorders. The study involved online questionnaires and two study visits that included clinical interviews, blood collection, and delivery of stool samples.