Effects of Food on Brain and Stomach Activity in Adults With and Without Spinal Cord Injury Randomized Study Comparing Preload and Ad-libitum Meal Conditions

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how food affects brain and stomach activity in adults with and without spinal cord injury SCI. This study aims to compare these effects between persons with SCI and those without, to better understand gut-brain neural connections. The research is sponsored by the University of Miami and involves a randomized design without masking. Participants will be assigned to one of two meal conditions a preload condition where they consume a fixed preload meal of Campbells Tomato soup followed by an ad libitum test meal of Stouffers Macaroni and Cheese, or an ad libitum control condition where they only consume the test meal. Each participant will complete these conditions over visits up to 2 weeks apart, with the preload visit lasting up to 6 hours and the control visit up to 2 hours. During participation, brain and stomach activity will be measured to assess phase amplitude coupling strength over the study period. Participants will undergo baseline assessments before meal consumption and monitoring during the visits. The study includes adults aged 18 to 70 years who are weight-stable and physically inactive. The total participation time spans up to 2 weeks with visits separated by up to 2 weeks, allowing researchers to evaluate neural responses to food intake in both SCI and control groups.

Gut-Brain Neural Coupling in Spinal Cord Injury