Stress Trajectories and Anhedonia in Adolescence Research Study (STAARS)

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status

Enrolling

Conditions

Adolescent Development

Stress Response

Anhedonia

Treatments

Behavioral: Montreal Imaging Stress Task

Behavioral: Trier Social Stress Test for Children

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT07040449

24-1236

R01MH136102 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This project will examine how multiple biological measures from the brain and the body's stress response system contribute to anhedonia (the loss of pleasure) in adolescence. The goal of this project is to see if it is possible to combine these biological measures to describe different patterns of activity in the brain and body that adolescents may have in response to stress.

The main question this study aims to answer is whether different patterns of activity in the brain and body are related to whether adolescents develop anhedonia and how high or low levels of anhedonia are over time.

This study will enroll 192 adolescents who are between 13 and 15 years. Adolescents will complete tasks three times: at the beginning of the study, 10 months after that, and then 10 months after that. In total, they will be part of the study for 20 months. At each time, adolescents will complete surveys, provide samples of spit to measure hormones and provide pictures of their brain to measure brain activity, participate in mildly stressful tasks, and complete different activities that measure how they think. The investigators will also ask each adolescent's parent or legal guardian to answer some surveys about themselves and their child.

Full description

Participants will complete tasks at 3 timepoints (Baseline, 10-Months, and 20-Months). Some tasks will be in-person, while others will be virtual.

The assessments being administered at all three timepoints are:

Psychological measures (self-report, completed remotely): Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale (ACIPS), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire short version (MFQ), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Emotional Distress and Anxiety, PROMIS Psychological Stress Experiences, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS)
Cognitive (researcher administered, conducted in-person): NIH Cognitive Toolbox
Brain Imaging via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Physiological (researcher administered, conducted in-person): Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Photoplethysmography (PPG), Impedance Cardiography (ICG), Pre-Ejection Period (PEP), Salivary Cortisol

Additionally, the following will be administered at each respective timepoint:

Baseline Assessment (Month 0):

Self-Report, Remote Questionnaires: demographic survey, address history survey, Protocol for Responding to & Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks & Experiences (PRAPARE), Pediatric Adverse Childhood Experiences and Related Life-events Screener (PEARLS) Cognitive (researcher administered, conducted in-person: Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Second Version (WASI-II) Psychological interview: Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS)

Time 2 (10-Months) Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) (self-report, completed remotely)

Time 3 (20-Months) Psychological interview: Abbreviated Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS)

Enrollment

192 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

13 to 15 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Age 13-15 years old at study entry
Ability to understand and sign an assent form
Meets study hearing and vision requirements

Exclusion criteria

Current use of antipsychotic medication
Current use of medications that would interfere with cardiovascular or endocrine assessments
Metal in the body or other MRI exclusion
Central nervous system disorder or brain injury that could confound brain imaging evaluations
Presence of a medical condition that would interfere with cardiovascular or endocrine assessments
Impaired intellectual functioning
Diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability