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Brain chemical may boost pain relief learned by observation

NCT ID NCT03446456

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Maryland, Baltimore Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 09, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a nasal spray containing vasopressin, a brain chemical involved in social bonding, can enhance the ability to learn pain relief by watching another person. Healthy adults receive either vasopressin or a placebo spray, then watch a video of someone experiencing pain relief while their brain activity is scanned using fMRI. The goal is to understand how social observation triggers placebo analgesia and whether vasopressin amplifies this effect.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Arginine vasopressin (nasal spray)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could reveal how social cues and brain chemistry influence pain relief, potentially improving non-drug pain management strategies.
What could go wrong
This is an early-phase study with only 56 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Vasopressin's role in pain learning is still uncertain.

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

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

About 56 people

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

Started

Sep 2018

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

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 65 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 ( 18-55 years old) * English speaker (written and spoken) Exclusion Criteria: * Cardiovascular, neurological diseases, pulmonary abnormalities, kidney disease, liver disease, degenerative neuromuscular disease, history of cancer within past 3 years * Any history of chronic pain disorder or currently in pain * Severe psychiatric condition (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, mania, autism) and /or psychiatric condition leading to treatment and/or hospitalization within the last 3 years. * Family (first degree) history of mania, schizophrenia, or other psychoses * Lifetime alcohol/drug dependence or alcohol/drug abuse in past 3 months * Pregnancy or breast feeding * Color-blindness * Impaired, uncorrected hearing * History of angioedema * High blood pressure (above 140 mmHg) or symptomatic low blood pressure * History of fainting * Left handed * Allergies or sensitivities to creams, lotions or food coloring * Any non-organic implant or any non-removable metal device (e.g. pacemaker, cochlear implants, stents, surgical clips, non-removable piercings) * Any prior eye injury or the potential of a foreign body in the eye (e.g. worked in metal fields)Persisting functional impairment due to a head trauma * Fear of closed spaces * Any other contraindications for MRI (e.g. large tattoos on head and neck) * Previously participated in a "Pain Perception in the Brain" Study * Failed drug test (testing for opiates, cocaine, methamphetamines, amphetamines and THC)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Acute Pain agnosia diabetes insipidus Social Behavior

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Acute pain

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

    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

  • Luana Colloca

    RECRUITING

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21201-1512, United States

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