Primary Research Focus
Dr. Brianne Richson’s research program primarily focuses on avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Dr. Richson has interests in mechanisms of ARFID onset and maintenance, with her most recent work focusing on cognitive inflexibility, aberrant fear learning and hormones (e.g., cortisol).
A related focus of this work is to better understand how to classify ARFID, in terms of better managing heterogeneity within the ARFID diagnosis and clarifying how ARFID is distinct from other eating disorders and other disorders with phenotypic similarity to ARFID (e.g., anxiety disorders). The overarching goals of Dr. Richson’s work on ARFID are to:
- Identify mechanisms that have translational value for ARFID treatment and prevention
- Improve ARFID diagnosis
Dr. Richson also has broad interests in eating disorder measure development and validation, alternatives to categorical models of eating disorders, eating disorder treatment outcomes and eating disorders in special populations, particularly among those with neurodevelopmental diagnoses.