Fatigue study seeks to unravel mystery of exhaustion
NCT ID NCT03952624
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 11 times
Summary
This study aims to better understand fatigue by comparing people who have felt tired for more than a month with those who are not fatigued. Researchers will use questionnaires, physical tests, and optional brain scans to identify different types of fatigue. The goal is to gather information that could help develop more personalized treatments in the future.
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 study could help researchers identify distinct types of fatigue, potentially leading to more targeted treatments in the future.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It aims to gather information, not test a therapy, so there is no direct benefit to participants. Results may not lead to immediate changes in care.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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37 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2019
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Participants will be recruited via a stepwise approach. Limited recruitment will occur during the first 6 months to 12 months after initial IRB approval, as part of the feasibility assessment. During this time, NIH investigators such as those from NINR, the NIDCR Sjogren s Clinic, and the 16-N-0058 study (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) will be informed about the study. These investigators will not actively recruit their own patients for the study but will be asked to post a recruitment flyer in their clinics. After the first year, the study will open to the general population.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- 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: All Participants (including returning participants) * Adult participants aged \>= 18 years at the time of enrollment. * Able to provide written informed consent. * Willing and able to complete study procedures. Fatigued Participants -In addition to the above, must experience fatigue for more than a month. Healthy Volunteers for the fMRI study * Right handed * Not taking any prescribed medications for chronic medical conditions * Not diagnosed with any chronic medical condition EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Exclusion from study entry: * Not fluent in English. * Have medical health issues that create additional and substantial adverse risks related to study procedures. Medical examples are the acute complications of medical disease, such as unstable hypertension, diabetic ketoacidosis, symptomatic hyperthyroidism, and unstable angina. * Have a psychiatric condition that prevents participant from being able to reliably report the fatigue experience (e.g., a psychotic disorder with severely disorganized thinking); * Current substance use disorder within the last five years or positive urine toxicology results at enrollment and before Stage 2. Prior marijuana use within the past five years will not be an exclusion. * Categorized as a high-risk drinker (\>=5 drinks/day and \>=15 drinks/week for men, \>=4 drinks/day and \>=8 drinks/week for women). ( Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture). * NIH employees. * Pregnant or lactating women. * Ongoing medical condition that is deemed by the Principal Investigator to interfere with the conduct or assessments of the study or safety of the participant. Exclusion from specific tests: * fMRI Technical Development Sub-Study * Implanted cardiac pacemakers, metal aneurysm clips; * Broken bones repaired with metal pins, screws, rods, plates; * Prosthetic eye implants; * Transdermal medications or infusion pumps; * Bullet fragments or other metal pieces in body from old wounds; * Significant work exposure to metal particles; * Clinically relevant claustrophobia; * Unable to lie comfortably on back for up to 4 hours; * Left-handed. (Participants that are ambidextrous, will complete the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory). * EEfRT and Stroop Test * Severe essential hand tremor or severe hand pain (e.g., severe arthritis or severe carpel tunnel) that makes it difficult to perform rapid keyboard presses will be an exclusion from the EEfRT and Stroop Test. * Color-blindness, verified by scoring \>14 on the Ishihara card test, will exclude a participant from taking the Stroop test. The Ishihara card test will be administered only if the participant states he or she is color-blind. * Tilt Table Test --Beta blocker medications. * CPET * Any neuromuscular conditions (e.g., multiple sclerosis, Parkinson s disease) with significant mobility impairment that prohibits treadmill or bike performance, or any medical condition (e.g., congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease \[COPD\], severe osteoarthritis and poorly controlled asthma) that would make it risky for the participant to exercise (e.g., exercise-induced angina and asthma), will exclude a participant from the CPET.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
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