Prozac's brain effects under the microscope in healthy youth
NCT ID NCT07456501
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how a week of Prozac (fluoxetine) changes decision-making and social thinking in 80 healthy people aged 18-24. Participants take either Prozac or a placebo, then complete tasks on emotion recognition, reward learning, and social exclusion. The goal is to better understand how antidepressants work in young brains, which could improve treatment for depression.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- fluoxetine (Prozac)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help doctors understand which young people might benefit most from antidepressants like Prozac.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It only lasts 7 days, so long-term effects or real-world benefits are unknown.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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 24 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: * Be aged 18-24 years (inclusive) * Be resident in the UK for the duration of the study * Have normal or corrected to normal vision * Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the research * Sufficiently fluent English to understand and complete the study Exclusion Criteria: Psychiatric History: * Current or past diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder, as determined by the SCID-5 and self-report. This includes, but is not limited to, depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol or drug dependency, personality disorders, suicidal ideation, and other psychiatric conditions; * First degree relative with a diagnosis of mania. Lifestyle: * Heavy smoker or vaper (\> 10 cigarettes per day, or \>2 mL e-liquid, or \>15mg/day from a nicotine patch); * Heavy use of caffeine (drink \> 4 of 250ml cups/cans of coffee or energy drinks per day); * Heavy alcohol drinker (drink \>14 standard alcoholic drinks per week); * Current or recent use (in the last 3 months) of any psychoactive substance according to self-report and a urine drug test screening for recent use of 10 common recreational substances. * Unable or unwilling to consume gelatine (study capsules will be gelatine-based). Physical Health: * Severely underweight or overweight in a manner that renders them unsuitable for the study in the opinion of the study medical advisor; * Known contraindication to fluoxetine, such as hypersensitivity to fluoxetine or any component in its formulation; * Pregnancy, as determined by a urine pregnancy test or plans to become pregnant within the next 3 months; * Breastfeeding. Medical History: * Past or ongoing health issue which, in the opinion of the study medical advisor, may interfere with the safety of the participant or the scientific integrity of the study. This can include but is not limited to: seizures or epilepsy, abnormal heart rhythm, renal disease, hepatic disease, glaucoma, diabetes, bleeding disorders or clotting conditions (e.g., haemophilia, thrombocytopenia); * Diagnosis of a significant neurological condition (e.g., epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury); * Current or recent use of medication that might interfere or interact with the effects of fluoxetine, in the opinion of the study medical advisor. This can include but is not limited to: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), medications affecting serotonin levels (e.g., tramadol, triptans, St. John's Wort), anticoagulants or blood thinners (e.g., warfarin), anti-inflammatory medications (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen), or medications known to affect heart rhythm. Prior Study Participation: * Participation in any other psychological or medical experiment involving taking any kind of drug/medication/vaccine, within the last 3 months; * Participation in any other study involving the current or similar tasks, within the last 6 months. Other considerations: •Any other significant finding which may arise during the screening process and which, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator/medical advisor, may influence the scientific integrity of the study, or the participant's safety or ability to participate in the study.
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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 Oxford Department of Psychiatry
Oxford, OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
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