Can a single dose of morphine reveal Sex-Specific stress pathways?

NCT ID NCT07778511

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026

Summary

This trial investigates whether activating the body's opioid system with a single dose of morphine influences stress responses and social behavior differently in men and women. It also examines how early life stress may modulate these effects. Healthy adults aged 18-40 will receive either morphine or a placebo in a crossover design, and researchers will measure subjective stress, heart rate, skin conductance, and stress hormones. The goal is to understand sex-specific mechanisms, not to test a new treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Morphine (oral, single dose)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could reveal why stress responses differ between sexes and how early life stress shapes them, potentially guiding more personalized treatments for stress-related conditions.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage, small trial (72 people) focused on understanding mechanisms, not on treating a disease. Results may not apply to real-world stress or lead to immediate therapies.

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

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

About 72 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 40 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show 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 18-40 years * Ability to read, understand, and provide written informed consent in German * Proficiency in German * Able to give blood samples (no blood- or needle-related phobia) * Good health as determined by medical history, ECG, and clinical assessment of lab tests. Lab tests will include potassium, creatinine, hemoglobin, glucose, calcium, BUN, complete blood count, total bilirubin, AST, ALT, and GGT. The final decision will be according to the judgment of the study physician. * Females must have a negative urine pregnancy test (hCG) at inclusion and at the start of each study session. Females of childbearing potential who are sexually active and have not been surgically sterilized must agree to use an adequate method of birth control during the study. * Prior experience with medical opioids (at least one experience with prescription opioids such as oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, hydrocodone, codeine, or dihydrocodeine) and paracetamol. * Body mass index (BMI) between 19 and 30 kg/m2 Exclusion Criteria: * Any current instable medical or neurological condition * Any clinically significant psychiatric disorder (i.e., psychotic and stress-related disorders) including a diagnosis of substance use disorder (defined in DSM-5 terms as Moderate or Severe). Participants will be screened using the Structured Clinical Interview - SCID for DSM-5). If indication is obtained that a clinically significant psychiatric disorder may be present, a full SCID will be carried out by appropriately trained staff. * Significant adverse reaction to prior opioid or paracetamol exposure * Reporting any illegal drug use \>15 life-time occasions and regular drug use during the last three months incl. the test period (except for nicotine and alcohol) * Any current use of CNS-active medications. * Current use of opioid analgesics, opioid use for \> 6 weeks (lifetime), or within the three months prior to study enrollment. * Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) Score \> 5 (strong nicotine dependence) * Heavy alcohol use based on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) * Lifetime diagnosis of cardiac disease. * Clinically significant laboratory or ECG abnormality that could be a safety issue in the study * Acute or chronic respiratory issues (e.g., cold, flu, asthma, etc.) * Lifetime diagnosis of liver or kidney disease including moderate or severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance \< 50 ml/min) * Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or autism spectrum disorder according to DSM-5 * Diagnosis of a current episode of depression based on DSM-5 criteria * Current diagnosis of a moderate or severe substance use disorder according to DSM-5 * Daily cannabis consumption in the past three months * Use of psychotropic medication within the last 7 days * Participation in other pharmacological studies within the last 2 months * Alcohol use within the last 24 hours controlled by breathalyzer * Unable to provide a negative urine drug screen (cannabinoids, amphetamines, opiates and opioids, benzodiazepines, and cocaine). * Positive pregnancy test or nursing (self-report) * For women: irregular menstrual cycle or menopause

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

opiate dependence Social Behavior Stress, Psychological

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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich

    Zurich, 8032, Switzerland

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