Brain scans reveal Stress's hidden impact
NCT ID NCT05591404
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study looks at how experiencing social stress changes brain activity in healthy adults. Fifty participants will either undergo a stressful public speaking and math task or a calm activity before having their brains scanned with fMRI. The goal is to see if stress alters brain activation patterns, which could help scientists better understand stress-related conditions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Trier Social Stress Test (a public speaking and mental arithmetic task)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could help researchers understand how stress changes brain activity, which may inform future treatments for stress-related disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, so results may not apply to people with mental health conditions. The stress test may cause temporary discomfort.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 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 55 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: * Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent. * Sufficiently fluent in English to participate in the trial. * Between 18-55 years of age (inclusive). * Right-hand dominant. * Current medications are stable for past 30 days (no changes to dose or frequency). * Negative result on pregnancy test (if female). * Negative result on urine drug screening. * Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS \<30). Exclusion Criteria: * History of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, delusional disorders. * History of eating disorder within past 6 months. * History of any traumatic brain injury. * Currently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. * Presence of severe medical illness that would prevent completion of study procedures. * Presence of significant neurological illness or cognitive dysfunction (e.g.; seizures, dementia). * History of substance use disorder within past 6 months (other than nicotine and caffeine). * Use of any cannabis-containing products in past 30 days (CBD or THC). * Use of benzodiazepines in past 2 weeks. * Use of alpha- or beta-blockers in the past week. * History of claustrophobia. * Contraindications for MRI (e.g.; shrapnel). * Presence of any other medical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may interfere with the study procedures.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, United States
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