Brain training showdown: continuous vs. intermittent feedback in fMRI study
NCT ID NCT07389486
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether continuous or intermittent real-time fMRI neurofeedback is better at helping healthy adults control a brain region called the anterior insula, which is involved in emotions and body awareness. Ninety participants will undergo either real or sham neurofeedback while their brain activity is monitored. The goal is to see which feedback style leads to greater brain changes and improvements in empathy and heartbeat perception.
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 training procedure
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward more effective brain-training methods for regulating emotions and improving empathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not a treatment trial. Results may not apply to clinical populations, and the training effects might be small or temporary.
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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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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18 to 30 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders Exclusion Criteria: History of brain injury medical or mental illness Contraindication to MRI scanning (e.g., metal implants, claustrophobia or other --conditions that make them inappropriate for MRI scanning)
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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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University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
RECRUITINGChengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China
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