Influence of Stress on Encoding and Prediction

Yale University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Learning, Spatial; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05920161

1R21MH128740-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

2000030825

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate the neural mechanisms by which acute stress influences statistical learning and episodic encoding.

Full description

This study aims to assess the neural and behavioral mechanisms by which acute stress modulates episodic encoding (which involves the trisynaptic pathway: entorhinal cortex, dentate gyrus, cornu ammonis [CA] 3, and CA 1) and statistical learning (monosynaptic pathway: entorhinal cortex, CA1) in humans.

Enrollment: 106 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18-45 years old
• Fluent in English
• BMI 18-35

Exclusion criteria

• Meeting current DSM-V criteria for any substance use disorder (except caffeine)
• Having current significant medical conditions or psychiatric symptoms requiring medication
• Current use of medications/drugs that interfere with physiological stress responses
• Peri and post-menopausal women, pregnant or lactating women, and those with hysterectomies
• Metal in body (for MRI safety) history will be assessed for female participants.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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106 participants in 2 patient groups

Acute Stress

Experimental group

Description:

Participants complete the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT), a validated laboratory-based stress induction procedure involving submerging an arm in an ice bath

Treatment:

Behavioral: Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test

No Stress

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants complete a matched condition with no stress-related exposure involving submerging an arm in warm water

Treatment:

Behavioral: Control