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NCT Number: NCT07440017

Older Age and Generalization

The goal of this clinical is to learn how the brain supports different kinds of memory decisions in healthy young and older adults. The main question it seeks to answer is: Do older adults make memory decisions by integrating across experiences?

Young (aged 18-30 years) and older (aged 65-80 years) participants will complete a memory task while undergoing functional MRI to measure their brain responses.

Researchers will compare brain measures of integration in older adults to those of young adults to see if integration increases in older age.

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Key information

Conditions

Aging

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Either aged 18-30 years (young adults) or aged 65-80 years (older adults) (self-report)
  • Fluent in English (self-report)
  • Right-handed (self-report)
  • Cognitively healthy (self report verified by score > 24 on Montreal Cognitive Assessment)
  • Self-reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion criteria

  • Self-reported neurological disorder (e.g., Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease)
  • Self-reported uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, or thyroid disorder
  • Having conditions or devices that are unsafe for MRI (assessed via imaging center's MRI safety screening form)
  • Self-reported difficulty lying still on one's back for 1-2 hours

Treatment and study plan

Memory decision type

Behavioral

Subjects will be probed to either remember an association they saw directly during the study phase or to make an inference across indirectly associated items.

Primary outcomes

  1. Behavioral memory responses

    Time frame: Session 2 (experimental session)

    Participants will complete the study and test phases of a memory-based inference task designed by the investigators. The investigators will focus on the accuracy of decisions (0-100% scale with higher scores meaning better memory) and how long it takes to make correct decisions (in seconds, faster responses mean less cognitive processing needed).

  2. Neural memory responses

    Time frame: Session 2 (experimental session)

    Investigators will measure the neural underpinnings of direct memory and the ability to make inferences.

Interested in participating?

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

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Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Caitlin Bowman

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Older Age on the Neural Basis of Memory Generalization

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 27, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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