Can a good Night's sleep ease teen anxiety?
NCT ID NCT03643848
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how sleep influences the way children aged 10-13 remember and generalize negative experiences, which may be linked to anxiety. Researchers will use sound cues during sleep to see if they can change memory patterns. The goal is to better understand the connection between sleep and anxiety, not to test a new treatment.
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 point toward new ways to treat anxiety by targeting sleep-related memory processes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study with only 58 participants. It does not test a treatment, so results may not lead to direct therapies.
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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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58 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2018
- Finished
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Mar 2024
- 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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10 to 13 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: * 10-13 years old * Able to understand and communicate in English and have a parent who is able to understand and communicate in English or Spanish * included across any range of symptoms of anxiety, and may meet full diagnostic criteria for Social Phobia, Generalized Anxiety and Separation Anxiety. * be right-handed. Exclusion Criteria: * For youth to be excluded from participation, they must: (A) meet diagnostic criteria for Organic Mental Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (including autism spectrum disorders), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Tic disorder, Impulse Control Disorder, or Intellectual Disability. However, to improve generalizability, if Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Mood Disorders (including past or present episodes of Major Depressive Disorder and/or dysthymia) or Posttraumatic stress Disorder co-occurs with an anxiety disorder (see Inclusion Criteria above) participants may be included. (B) Children complete the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II). Scores below 80 (i.e., two standard deviations below normed mean) are considered exclusionary for this study. (C) show high likelihood and/or serious intent of hurting themselves or others. (D) have not been living with a primary caregiver for at least 6 months who is legally able to give consent for the child's participation. (E) be a victim of previously undisclosed abuse requiring investigation or ongoing supervision by the Department of Children and Families; (F) have a serious vision problem that is not corrected with prescription lenses, or have prescription glasses outside of the range of -5.00 to +3.00 (contact lenses are ok). (G) have a physical disability that interferes with their ability to lie in scanner and/or click a mouse button rapidly; (H) have a serious hearing problem; (I) have a history of neurological or other major medical conditions affecting brain function. (J) current or past history of sleep disorder, as assessed during the screening; exclusionary sleep disorders will include sleep apnea, and circadian rhythm disturbances (i.e., advanced or delayed sleep-phase) (K) self-reported average sleep duration \< 6 hours or \> 11 hours across weekday and weekend nights, or normal bedtime later than 1:00 am; . (L) Are not suitable to undergo MRI scanning due to claustrophobia, certain implanted devices/metal (e.g., cardiac pacemaker, neurostimulator, some artificial joints, metal pins, surgical/aneurysm clips, heart valves, cochlear implants, retinal implants, shrapnel in eye, non-removable body piercing or other non-MRI compatible metal/device. (M) Are pregnant. (N) Some Color Tattoos. (O) Color Contacts. (P) Currently sick or recovering from illness. (Q) Currently taking non-stimulant psychotropic medications. However, participants who have been off non- stimulant medication for at least 2 weeks (the typical washout period) may be included. Participants currently taking stimulant medications may be included, as long as medication was not taken within 24 hours of scans (at the discretion of the parent/legal guardian and prescribing physician).
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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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Center for Children and Families, Florida International University
Miami, Florida, 33199, United States
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Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Miami, Florida, 33199, United States
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