Scientists scan brains to unlock why time feels different as we age
NCT ID NCT06349213
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how aging changes the way we perceive time. Researchers will use brain scans (EEG, fMRI, and PET) to compare time judgment in healthy young adults (20-35) and older adults (60-85). The goal is to understand the brain mechanisms behind age-related changes in time processing, which could help identify early signs of cognitive decline.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Fluorodopa (FDOPA) injection for PET imaging
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help identify brain changes related to time perception in aging, potentially leading to early markers for cognitive decline.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It is small (130 participants) and focuses on healthy individuals, so results may not apply to those with cognitive impairments.
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.
- Participants
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About 130 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2024
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a government body.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Healthy participant with no diagnosed condition
- Ages
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20 to 85 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: 1. Membership of a social security scheme or beneficiary of such a scheme. 2. At least 7 years' schooling. 3. Acceptance and signature of the informed consent form 4. Fluency in French (as assessed by the project leader) 5. Age between 20 and 35 years inclusive for young healthy subjects, and between 60 and 85 years inclusive for elderly healthy subjects. 6. Effective contraception for women of childbearing age: Contraception will be considered effective from the moment the participant declares taking an oral contraceptive, the presence of an IUD, diaphragm or contraceptive implant, or the performance of a tubal ligation or sterilisation. 7. Absence of global cognitive deficit attested by a score on the MOCA scale greater than or equal to 26/30. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Persons under guardianship, curators or safeguard of justice. 2. Pregnant women, women in labor and nursing mothers 3. Chronic neurological conditions 4. Uncorrected visual difficulties 5. Encephalitis 6. Endocrine or liver disease 7. History of head trauma with loss of consciousness lasting more than one hour 8. History of cancer in the last 5 years, with the exception of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin 9. Presence or history of chronic alcoholism or drug addiction 10. Presence of clinically significant major psychiatric disorders (according to DSM-IV-TR criteria) or symptoms that could affect the participant's ability to complete the research. 11. Use of medications that may modulate the dopaminergic system (psychotropic, with the exception of sleeping pills or occasional use of anxiolytics, as decided by the principal investigator). 12. Contraindications to MRI examination (pregnancy; pacemaker or neurosensory stimulator or implantable defibrillator; clip on an aneurysm or clip on a vascular malformation of the brain; intraocular or cerebral ferromagnetic foreign body; prosthesis or mobilizable ferromagnetic metal object or splinter; cochlear implant ; peripheral stimulator; neurosurgical ventriculoperitoneal shunt valves; permanent eyelid or lip make-up; jewelry or piercing that cannot be removed; certain tattoos depending on the type of ink, size and location; automated injection devices such as insulin pumps, blood glucose sensors, claustrophobia). 13. Radiotracer contraindications: Hypersensitivity to product excipients, chronic alcoholism, kidney disease. 14. Participation in research involving exposure to ionizing radiation (nuclear medicine or radiology examinations) in the year preceding inclusion or during a period of exclusion from other research.
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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
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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Cyceron Boulevard Henri Becquerel
RECRUITINGCaen, 14074, France
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