Brain scans reveal how stress rewires learning
NCT ID NCT05920161
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at how a short stressful experience changes the way the brain learns and remembers. Healthy adults aged 18-45 underwent a cold water stress test or a control version while their brain activity was measured with fMRI. The goal was to understand the neural mechanisms behind stress effects on learning and memory.
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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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106 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Finished
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Oct 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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18 to 45 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: * 18-45 years old * Fluent in English * BMI 18-35 Exclusion Criteria: * Meeting current DSM-V criteria for any substance use disorder (except caffeine) * Having current significant medical conditions or psychiatric symptoms requiring medication * Current use of medications/drugs that interfere with physiological stress responses * Peri and post-menopausal women, pregnant or lactating women, and those with hysterectomies * Metal in body (for MRI safety) history will be assessed for female participants.
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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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Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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