Neurobiological and Psychological Maintenance Mechanisms Associated With Anticipatory Reward in Bulimia Nervosa

The purpose of this investigation is to identify the potentially crucial role of anticipatory reward mechanisms maintaining bulimic behavior (i.e., binge eating and purging) in bulimia nervosa (BN). The research will investigate neural and psychological anticipatory processes in BN, both in the scanner and the natural environment.

Inclusion Criteria: Bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy control (HC) groups: * Right-handed * Ability to read and speak in English BN group only: * Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) diagnosis of BN (i.e., at least one objective bulimic episode and one self-induced vomiting episode per week for at three months) with binge episodes always accompanied by self-induced vomiting * Stable dose for at least 6 weeks of any recent changes in medication impacting mood, appetite, or weight HC group only: * No binge eating or purging episodes for the past three months on the EDE * No current or past history of an eating disorder as diagnosed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders Exclusion Criteria: * History of gastric bypass surgery * Medical condition acutely affecting eating behavior and/or weight (i.e., pregnancy, lactation, thyroid disease) * Current medical or psychiatric instability (i.e., hospitalization required in the past three months) * Lifetime history of psychosis or bipolar disorder * History of neurological disorder or injury (i.e., stoke, head injury with \>10 minutes loss of consciousness) * Current substance use disorder * BMI less than 19 kg/m\^2 * Acute suicidality requiring hospitalization * fMRI exclusions as specifiedd by the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research * Food allergy that cannot be accommodated through substitutions to the laboratory test snack