Actively Recruiting
State-dependent Interoception, Value-based Decision-making, and Introspection
Led by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) · Updated on 2026-01-26
900
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
335 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Background: Negative emotional states can affect a person s behavior as they make decisions. For example, hunger may make people more impatient; they may then make riskier choices. Other negative emotional states that can change behavior include stress, pain, and sadness. By learning more about how emotions affect thinking and behavior in healthy people, researchers hope to better understand how to identify and treat people with mental disorders. Objective: To learn how negative emotions affect the brain and decision-making behavior. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 18 to 55 years. Design: Participants will have 3 clinic visits in 3 weeks. Participants will fill out questionnaires. They will be asked about their personal history, their personality, and state of mind. For 2 visits, participants will be assigned to different groups. Each group will experience 1 type of emotional stressor: Some participants will watch a video. Some will have to do arithmetic problems. Some will have heat applied to an arm or leg. Some will experience cold by immersing their hand in ice water. For a snack craving test, some will be tempted by food after a 4-hour fast. During these tests, participants will have sensors attached to their bodies. They will be videotaped. Saliva samples will be collected. After the stressors, participants will do tasks on a computer. They will need to make choices. Some participants will perform these decision-making tasks while lying in a brain scanner for functional magnetic resonance imaging. The brain scan involves lying on a table that slides into a cylinder that takes images of the brain. ...
CONDITIONS
Official Title
State-dependent Interoception, Value-based Decision-making, and Introspection
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Able to understand and willing to sign informed consent
- All sexes; age 18 to 55 years
- Able to read and write in English to understand instructions
You will not qualify if you...
- Unable to comply with study procedures or follow-up visits
- Serious or unstable medical conditions posing cardiovascular, neurological, or physical risks
- Current psychiatric diagnosis or high scores on depression or anxiety inventories
- Diagnosis of substance-related or addictive disorders or problematic gambling or media addiction
- Regular use of psychoactive medications or corticosteroids
- Pregnant
- Medical conditions affecting temperature sensitivity, pain thresholds, or somatosensation
- Chronic pain conditions or recent skin issues in testing areas
- Recent use of medications affecting pain or heat perception
- Conditions preventing fasting or causing hypoglycemia risk
- Current or planned carbohydrate-restrictive diet
- History of food allergies like tree-nut or peanut allergy
- Safety risks for fMRI such as ferromagnetic implants, pacemakers, insulin pumps, or pregnancy
- Left-handedness for fMRI sessions involving thermal pain stimulation
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
S
Silvia Lopez Guzman, M.D.
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Model
CROSSOVER
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
5
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