Brain scans reveal hidden costs of resisting temptation
NCT ID NCT05795179
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at why people struggle with self-control, especially when trying to resist tempting foods. Researchers will ask 300 healthy adults to complete tasks that measure how much they would pay to avoid temptation, while also undergoing brain scans and stress tests. The goal is to understand the mental and brain processes behind self-control failures.
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 could reveal why self-control fails and point toward strategies to improve it.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage observational study with no treatment being tested, so it will not directly change medical practice.
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 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
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 70 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: * 18-70 years of age, able to speak, read, and write fluently in English * be willing and able to follow study procedures and provide informed consent. * Must additionally confirm they are on a diet to maintain/lose weight and are implementing/maintaining dietary changes. Exclusion Criteria: * History of or medication for neurologic or psychiatric disease * High-blood pressure or heart condition * Diabetes, food allergies, metabolic disorders or history of eating disorder * Use of corticosteroids or beta-blockers * Metallic implants or devices contraindicating magnetic resonance imaging. * Pregnancy is considered an exclusion criteria due to all stress and scanning procedures, thus pregnant participants will not be permitted 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. 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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NYU Langone Health
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10016, United States
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