Friendship as a buffer: brain scans reveal how social support may boost emotion regulation in teens
NCT ID NCT06458920
First seen Jul 16, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates whether adolescents (13–15 years) benefit more from regulating emotions with a friend's help than on their own, and how this compares to young adults (20–25 years). Participants complete emotion-regulation tasks during fMRI brain scans. The goal is to understand the neural mechanisms behind social versus solo emotion regulation and whether social support leads to longer-lasting effects.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could point toward social-based strategies to help adolescents manage emotions more effectively.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational brain-imaging study, not a treatment trial. Results may not translate into real-world interventions or apply to all adolescents.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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13 to 25 years
- 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: * Adolescent participants must be 13-15 year of age * Adult participants must be 20-25 years of age * Proficient in English Exclusion Criteria: * Auditory, visual or cognitive impairment * Any health conditions that are contraindicated for MRI
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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 California, Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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