Overweight and ObesityNCT05938894
Train Your Brain - Executive Function
A study testing online games with various food images and online games with images of flowers and songbirds in people with Overweight and Obesity, run by USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this research is to test if playing games designed to improve an individual's executive function can change their views about the types of foods they eat. Executive function is a set of mental processes that people use every day to make decisions - such as what kinds of foods they choose to eat and when… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Overweight and Obesity
- What is being tested?
- online games with various food images and online games with images of flowers and songbirds
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 630 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 25 Sep 2023to 18 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- BMI 23-38 kg/m2
- US citizenship
- Not currently dieting to lose weight and no weight loss or gain of >2 kg over the past 3 months
- No tobacco or e-cigarette use
- Not pregnant or lactating or planning to become pregnant while participating in the study
Who cannot join
- Not a US citizen
- Currently dieting to lose weight
- Weight loss of >2 kg over the past 3 months
- Tobacco or e-cigarette use
- Pregnant or lactating or planning to become pregnant while participating in the study
- A history of bariatric surgery
- Diagnosis of major medical or psychiatric condition that would interfere with participation, including not being physically able to play the games, or a current eating disorder
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
Grand Forks, North Dakota, 58203
About this study
Official title: The Effect of Executive Function Training on Diet and Attitudes
The purpose of this research is to test if playing games designed to improve an individual's executive function can change their views about the types of foods they eat. Executive function is a set of mental processes that people use every day to make decisions - such as what kinds of foods they choose to eat and when and where they eat those foods.
Read the detailed description
The purpose of this study is to determine whether executive function (EF) training concurrently improves attitudes, perceptions, and consumption of nutrient-dense foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables) while worsening the same of nutrient-poor foods. In effect, the aim is to test whether EF training can promote the substitution of nutrient-poor foods with fruits and vegetables (FV), as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends regular consumption of FV as part of a healthy dietary pattern. Given the health benefits associated with consuming FV, EF training that effectively promotes increased FV intake may benefit health. For example, FV consumption is associated with the reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and eye and skin health. Moreover, FV consumption is associated with better mental and cognitive health.
- Conditions
- Overweight and Obesity
- Being tested
- online games with various food images, online games with images of flowers and songbirds
- Keywords
- Normal weight
- Medical subject headings
- Overweight, Obesity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
online games with various food imagesOther
Participant will play a series of online games with various food images.
online games with images of flowers and songbirdsOther
Participant will play a series of online games with images of flowers and songbirds.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| EFfect-food choices | Experimental | Participants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study. Receives: Other: online games with various food images |
| Control | Active comparator | Participants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study. Receives: Other: online games with images of flowers and songbirds |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in response time
Change in online game speed of response time
Measured: Week 0, Week 9
Change in percent correct
Change in online game percent correct
Measured: Week 0, Week 9
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Jul 2023
- Study start25 Sep 2023
- Primary completion18 Aug 2025
- Study completion18 Aug 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Overweight and ObesityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 630 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Shanon Casperson, PhD, Principal investigator, USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05938894
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- GFHNRC299
- Status last verified
- Nov 2025
- First submitted
- 7 May 2023
- Last updated
- 3 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Roemmich JN, Nelson AM, Stice E, Hess JM, Palmer DG, Casperson SL. Efficacy of a Web-Based Executive Function Training Program to Induce Healthier Food Choices and Increase Valuation of Fruits and Vegetables in Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Sep 16;14:e66394. doi: 10.2196/66394.
PubMed 40957017
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Executive Function Training on Diet and Attitudes
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05938894
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- GFHNRC299
- Conditions
- Overweight and Obesity
- Keywords
- Normal weight
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 630 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research CenterUS federal agency
- Study start
- 25 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 18 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 18 Aug 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this research is to test if playing games designed to improve an individual's executive function can change their views about the types of foods they eat. Executive function is a set of mental processes that people use every day to make decisions - such as what kinds of foods they choose to eat and when and where they eat those foods.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to determine whether executive function (EF) training concurrently improves attitudes, perceptions, and consumption of nutrient-dense foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables) while worsening the same of nutrient-poor foods. In effect, the aim is to test whether EF training can promote the substitution of nutrient-poor foods with fruits and vegetables (FV), as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends regular consumption of FV as part of a healthy dietary pattern. Given the health benefits associated with consuming FV, EF training that effectively promotes increased FV intake may benefit health. For example, FV consumption is associated with the reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and eye and skin health. Moreover, FV consumption is associated with better mental and cognitive health.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| EFfect-food choices | Experimental | Other: online games with various food imagesParticipants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study. |
| Control | Active comparator | Other: online games with images of flowers and songbirdsParticipants will complete four online games at least biweekly during the study. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- BMI 23-38 kg/m2
- US citizenship
- Not currently dieting to lose weight and no weight loss or gain of >2 kg over the past 3 months
- No tobacco or e-cigarette use
- Not pregnant or lactating or planning to become pregnant while participating in the study
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Not a US citizen
- Currently dieting to lose weight
- Weight loss of >2 kg over the past 3 months
- Tobacco or e-cigarette use
- Pregnant or lactating or planning to become pregnant while participating in the study
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| online games with various food imagesParticipant will play a series of online games with various food images. | Other | EFfect-food choices |
| online games with images of flowers and songbirdsParticipant will play a series of online games with images of flowers and songbirds. | Other | Control |
Primary outcome
Change in response time
Time frame: Week 0, Week 9
Change in online game speed of response time
Change in percent correct
Time frame: Week 0, Week 9
Change in online game percent correct
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Dec 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40957017Roemmich JN, Nelson AM, Stice E, Hess JM, Palmer DG, Casperson SL. Efficacy of a Web-Based Executive Function Training Program to Induce Healthier Food Choices and Increase Valuation of Fruits and Vegetables in Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Sep 16;14:e66394. doi: 10.2196/66394.
- Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center Train Your Brain Study websiteLink provided by the sponsor.
- Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center Current Nutrition StudiesLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Shanon Casperson, PhD principal investigator
USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing online games with various food images and online games with images of flowers and songbirds in people with Overweight and Obesity, run by USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in response time (time frame: Week 0, Week 9). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05938894, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Dec 2025.