Haemodialysis fMRI Salt Appetite study (HeMSA) version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining salt appetite in haemodialysis patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging.
IRAS ID
252130
Contact name
Tony Goldstone
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
This study looks at how patients, who have kidney disease, differ from healthy people with regards to the liking of salty food and the way in which the taste of salty food is processed by the brain. Salt makes food taste good, and when we need salt our brain makes us like salty food even more. Haemodialysis (the process used to remove waste in end-stage renal failure) may make the brain think that the body needs salt when it really does not. Keeping to a low salt diet is important for dialysis patients to keep them well in the short and long term. Modifying the appeal of salty food will help patient keep to the low salt diet.
Functional MRI (fMRI) shows areas of the brain which are active using strong magnetic fields and radiowaves, not radiation. A difference in the brain's response to salty soup, pre and post haemodialysis, will identify the target areas of the brain for future research in salt appetite in dialysis patients.
There are three phases to this project:
(i) Pilot Phase
1a: Haemodialysis patient salt taste testing - taste ratings of soup to establish the 12 soup salt concentrations which will be used in the main phase
1b: fMRI healthy control - to establish the fMRI salt taste paradigm in healthy controls.
(ii) Main Phase 2:
Establish the fMRI salt taste paradigm in haemodialysis patients.
Examine the difference in fMRI BOLD signal in the brain reward and taste pathways, in response to the taste of different soup salt concentrations pre- and post-haemodialysis in patients with high (>4%) %weight gain between dialysis sessions (%IDWG).
Obtained data to determine the number of subjects required for Phase 3.
(iv) Main Phase 3: This is an expansion to Main Phase 2 adding 2 groups (haemodialysis patients with low %IDWG and healthy control).REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1311
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion