Brain scans probe why social pleasure fades after psychosis
NCT ID NCT05617898
First seen Jul 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates whether reduced sensitivity to social rewards contributes to social anhedonia—a lack of pleasure from social interactions—in people who have recently experienced their first episode of psychosis. Participants, aged 18 to 35, will undergo brain scans while performing social reward learning tasks before and after three sessions of motivational interviewing or a control nutrition discussion. The goal is to understand the brain mechanisms behind social withdrawal and identify potential targets for future treatments.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Motivational interviewing (three sessions targeting sensitivity to social reward)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward better ways to treat social withdrawal in people recovering from psychosis.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on understanding brain mechanisms, not testing a treatment. Results may not lead directly to new therapies.
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 152 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2023
- Expected to finish
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Nov 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 35 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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: * Age 18-35 years * A first episode of a psychotic illness that began within the past three years * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder * Taking 2nd generation antipsychotic medications * Estimated premorbid IQ not less than 70 as assessed with the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading * Appropriate for scanning (i.e., no pacemaker or metal implants) and expressed willingness to participate in scanning * Sufficient fluency in English to comprehend testing procedures * Corrected vision of at least 20/30 Exclusion Criteria: * No evidence that substance use makes the diagnosis ambiguous (rule out substance-induced psychosis) * No evidence of moderate or severe alcohol or substance use disorder in the past 3 months * No clinically significant disease based on medical history (e.g., epilepsy) or significant head injury * For females: no current pregnancy * No sedatives or anxiolytics on the day of assessment * No medication change 3 weeks prior to enrollment
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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
2 sites. 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 Alabama at Birmingham
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
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University of California Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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