Brain scans train people to forget fears

NCT ID NCT07122739

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether real-time brain imaging feedback can help healthy adults reduce the spontaneous return of fear memories. Forty participants will receive either active or sham neurofeedback while undergoing fMRI. The goal is to strengthen memory control by targeting connections between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
real-time fMRI neurofeedback
What this could lead to
If successful, this could point toward a non-drug method to weaken unwanted fear memories, potentially aiding treatments for anxiety or PTSD.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. The effect may not translate to real-world conditions or clinical populations.

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 40 people

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

Started

Jul 2025

Expected to finish

Jun 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 50 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: * Adults aged 18-50 * No history of psychiatric disorders or neurological disorders affecting the central nervous system. * Are not currently taking psychoactive medication or drugs of abuse. * Must be eligible to enter an MRI (i.e., no permanent metal or medical implants) * Normal color vision * Right-handed * Full reading and writing English comprehension * Must exhibit spontaneous recovery behavior as determined by an experimenter in a prescreening experimental session * Must be able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy (female participants) * Outside of age range * History of psychiatric or neurological disease * Currently taking psychoactive medication or drugs of abuse * Color blindness * Primary left-handedness * Less than full reading and writing English comprehension * Do not exhibit spontaneous recovery behavior as determined by an experimenter in a prescreening experimental session * Refusing to provide informed consent

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

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

  2. The official record

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Princeton Neuroscience Institute

    RECRUITING

    Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, United States

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