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InsideOut Institute is proud to announce that neuroscientist and InsideOut’s Research Stream Lead, Dr Kristi Griffiths has received $1,105,550 for her project, “‘Why don’t you just eat?’: Fear, Reward and Self-Starvation in Anorexia Nervosa” (the FERN Study).
This funding will enable a world‑leading investigation into the biological drivers of eating behaviour in anorexia nervosa, which is looking to commence recruitment in August 2026.
The FERN Study looks at how metabolic hormones, gut microbiology, and neural reward systems interact to influence eating behaviours in people with anorexia nervosa.
Anorexia nervosa involves the gradual development of a highly fearful and aversive reaction to food, however the brain pathways underlying this have never been directly examined using food and eating behaviour. As a result, our treatments for this aspect of the illness are rather blunt and lack any understanding of mechanisms.
Our novel design allows this to be looked at for the first time.
The project, led by Dr Kristi Griffiths of InsideOut, is a collaborative effort that brings together leading researchers across Sydney University’s Charles Perkins Centre; endocrinologist Assoc. Professor Samantha Hocking, and gut microbiome specialist Professor Andrew Holmes.
The FERN Study will leverage the new MRI scanner housed within the Charles Perkins Centre, opened as part of the Sydney Imaging research facility. This state‑of‑the‑art technology will allow researchers to capture real-time imaging of brain activity to better understand how individuals with anorexia nervosa resist hunger signals, despite being physiologically hungry.
By looking at other biological systems that likely play a role in the reaction to food – such as fear responses, reward pathways, hormones, the gut and metabolic processes – the FERN study aims to build a picture of systems that we can effectively target to provide treatment and enhance recovery.
InsideOut Institute congratulates Dr Griffiths on this outstanding national recognition and looks forward to the transformative insights this next phase of the FERN study will deliver.