Can brain waves reveal how we handle stress?
NCT ID NCT07781670
First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates how the brain and body respond to acute physical and emotional stress in healthy adults aged 18 to 65. Participants will undergo four conditions: resting, a cold pressor test (hand in ice water), recalling a distressing memory, and viewing emotional pictures. Throughout, researchers will record brain activity via EEG and measure heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance. The goal is to understand how stress affects brain wave patterns, particularly alpha activity, and how individual traits like resilience and anxiety influence these responses.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Behavioral stress tests, including the Cold Pressor Test (hand in ice water), recalling a painful memory, and viewing emotional pictures.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal how the brain's electrical activity changes under stress, potentially guiding future stress-management or anxiety treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Stress responses vary widely between individuals, and the lab setting may not reflect real-world stress.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 65 years. * Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent. * Sufficient knowledge of the Italian language to understand study instructions and complete the psychological assessments. Exclusion Criteria: * History of major neurological disorders or other medical conditions that could significantly affect EEG or autonomic measurements. * Current severe psychiatric disorder that could interfere with participation in the experimental procedures. * Cardiovascular conditions for which exposure to the Cold Pressor Test may be contraindicated. * Medical conditions affecting peripheral circulation or sensitivity of the upper limbs that could interfere with or increase the risk associated with the Cold Pressor Test. * Current use of medications that may substantially affect autonomic or central nervous system activity, when considered clinically relevant to the study procedures. * Presence of wounds, injuries, or other conditions affecting the hand that would prevent safe completion of the Cold Pressor Test. * Inability to complete the experimental procedures or provide valid informed consent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Pavia
RECRUITINGPavia, Lombardy, 27100, Italy
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