Developing and Testing Behavioral Learning and Decision-Making Tasks in Healthy Adults Ages 18 to 45

What this Trial Is About

Substance use disorders SUD involve changes in how people process incentives, learn, and make decisions. Researchers aim to understand why some individuals develop SUD by creating reliable tests that measure thinking and learning. This study focuses on developing and validating behavioral tasks to evaluate these cognitive functions in healthy adults aged 18 to 45. Participants will complete various tasks on a computer, which may include smelling odors, tasting flavored liquids, viewing images, and listening to sounds. Some tasks involve eating meals provided by researchers. Participants will wear sensors to monitor physical responses such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. A portion of participants will also undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI scans while performing tasks to observe brain activity. During the study, participants will attend between 1 and 12 visits spaced 1 to 14 days apart, each lasting about 1 to 7 hours. Assessments include task performance measurements and physical monitoring. The study aims to determine if these tasks reliably measure cognitive functions and produce interpretable brain imaging results. Participation may continue for up to several months depending on the number of tasks assigned.

Development and Validation of Learning and Decision-Making Tasks