Neurobehavioural and Cognitive Changes in Cancer Cachexia (CANCOG)

Summary

The goal of this observational study is to to look for changes within the brain, and changes in body-to-brain signals in people with cancer and people who do not have cancer. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Are there differences in areas of the brain known to be related to appetite control, food reward and motivation, between participants with cancer related weight loss and healthy volunteers
2. Do responses to questionnaires and computer based tasks suggest participants with cancer related weight loss have reduced appetite and reduced motivation to eat compared to healthy volunteers, and if so, do questionnaires suggest that this is associated with any other symptoms?

Researchers will compare the structure and blood flow in relevant areas of the brain using MRI images between participants with cancer related weight loss and healthy volunteers. Participants will complete questionnaires and computer based tasks to allow researchers to assess areas of the brain which become more active in response to different stimuli. Some computer based tasks will be performed during the MRI scan. This is called functional MRI.

A further objective is to obtain an archive of blood samples which will be stored securely for future analysis if relevant hormones or analytes are identified that may be relevant to metabolism or body composition

Conditions

• Cancer
• Cachexia
• Cachexia-Anorexia Syndrome
• Appetite Loss
• Weight Loss

Interventions

PROCEDURE

MRI/ Functional MRI

Participants will undergo an MRI scan lasting approximately 1 hour to examine the structure and function of the brain. During the scan, they will also be asked to perform computer based tasks. This is called functional MRI.

BEHAVIORAL

Self-reported questionnaires

Participants will complete questionnaires covering subjective measures relating to food attitudes and intake, and report-based measures of relevant psychopathology including depression and anxiety. These will be derived from standardised scales already used clinically, including the setting of eating disorders and normative studies of the neuroscience of appetite.

BEHAVIORAL

Computer based tasks

Participants will complete computer based tasks which are focused specifically on aspects of appetite-related and reward behaviours. Typically, such behaviours are characterised under the following sub-headings: i) Motivation (the amount of effort, cognitive or physical, that a person is prepared to expend in order to gain access to food), ii) Valuation (the relative rating of foods in comparison to each other and to non-food items), and iii) Hedonic response (the subjective pleasure experienced in consumption) to food intake

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Cambridge

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Anthony P Coll · University of Cambridge

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-15

Primary Completion

2027-11-30

Completion

2027-11-30

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations