Brain scans train people to forget fears
NCT ID NCT07122739
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 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: * 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
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Healthy are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Princeton Neuroscience Institute
RECRUITINGPrinceton, New Jersey, 08540, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- The effects of external nasal dilator strips on sleep and cardiovascular health
- A pharmacokinetic study of NTI164 in healthy adult volunteers
- Genetic determinants of Exercise-Induced muscle damage (POLYGENDOMUS) / déterminants génétiques des dommages musculaires induits par l'Exercice (POLYGENDOMUS)
- Can a simple injection timing reduce bleeding after skin cancer surgery?
- Can Land-Based teachings shape psychedelic therapy training?
- Can a new oral drug pass early safety tests?