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NCT Number: NCT06934902

Attentional Capture by Real-life Episodic Information

Attention facilitates the allocation of processing resources and the control of behavior among competing stimuli. Current research focuses primarily on attention control networks in the dorsal frontoparietal (DAN) and ventral (VAN) cortex. However, typical laboratory experiments emphasize task-specific processing, neglecting the possible role of memory. Although a few studies have examined the contribution of memory to attention control, they have generally used simple tasks in the laboratory. These tasks are unlikely to produce true traces of episodic memory, which are - by definition - characterized by complex contextual information (what, where, when) and personal relevance. This research will therefore use an innovative protocol based on mobile phone technology to generate episodes in the participants' real lives and then measure the impact of these past personal experiences on attention allocation (by assessing eye movements) and on the activity of the DAN/VAN system (using functional imaging).

The main hypothesis of the study is that knowledge acquired during everyday life contributes to the subsequent allocation of processing resources, via engagement of the DAN/VAN attention systems.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers Attentional Capture

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Be 18 years old to 40 years old
  • Be right-handed
  • Do not wear glasses
  • Have a mobile-phone compatible with the application, minimum 6rd generation Android operating system, with geo-localization activated and accepted by the user
  • Undertake to comply with the instructions and recommendations for MRI examination
  • Provide informed written consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • History of known neurological or psychiatric illness
  • Cognitive problems limiting the understanding of instructions
  • Recent taking psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics). The main treatments not authorized during this research are the following: Psychotropic treatments (drugs that can induce changes in perception, sensation, mood, consciousness or behavior). Like what:
  • Antipsychotics (valproic acid, amisulpride, aripiprazole, clozapine, cyamemazin, haloperidol, loxapine, olanzapine, risperidone).
  • Antidepressants (Amitriptyline, Citalopram, Clomipramine, Duloxetine, Escitalopam, Fluoxetine, Mianserine, Mirtazapine, Nortriptyline, Paroxetine, Sertraline, Venlafaxine).
  • Anxyolitics
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Persons deprived of their liberty by a judicial or administrative decision
  • Persons admitted to a health or social institution for purposes other than research
  • Adults subject to a legal protection measure (guardianship, curatorship)
  • Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme
  • Participation in another research study of the current study
  • Contraindication for fMRI scanning
  • Participant not agreeing to be informed in the event of the incidental discovery of an anomaly on MRI
  • For visit number 2 :
  • Alcohol consumption (> 3 drinks) in the 24h before the experiment
  • Alcohol consumption the day of the experiment
  • Cafeine consumption 1 hour or less before the experiment
  • Drug consumption within the 24h preceding the experiment
  • Antimalarial treatment within the 3 days preceding the experiment

Treatment and study plan

Old vs new objects" encoding phase and fMRI

Behavioral

During the encoding phase, a set of 60 objects will be presented to the participants in their everyday life. Pictures of objects sent to their app mobile phone over a period of 3 weeks.

The following week, participants will have an fMRI. During fMRI, participants will see objects already seen or not seen during the encoding phase.

" incongruent vs. congruent contexts " encoding phase and fMRI

Behavioral

During the encoding phase, a set of 60 objects will be presented to the participants in their everyday life. Pictures of objects sent to their app mobile phone over a period of 3 weeks. This time, the objects will be chosen according to the participant's location.

The following week, participants will have an fMRI. During fMRI, participants will see objects encoding in congruent/incongruent contexts.

Primary outcomes

  1. activation pattern in fMRI: "old vs. new" objects (intervention 1)

    Time frame: One time during the week after the 3 weeks encoding phase

    activation pattern in DAN/VAN system in fMRI experiments for the comparison of trials with gaze directed towards "seen/old vs. unseen/new" objects.

Secondary outcomes

  1. activation pattern in fMRI: "place" images in intervention 1

    Time frame: One time during the week after the 3 weeks encoding phase

    activation pattern in DAN/VAN system in fMRI experiments when participants direct gaze towards the image depicting the location where they were at the time they received an object during the encoding phase, compared with trials when gaze is directed towards the image of a place that was not visited during the encoding phase.

  2. activation pattern in fMRI: incongruent vs. congruent contexts (intervention 2)

    Time frame: One time during the week after the 3 weeks encoding phase

    activation pattern in DAN/VAN system in fMRI experiments for the comparison of trials with gaze directed towards old/seen objects encoded in incongruent vs congruent contexts.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Emiliano MACALUSO, Pr

CONTACT

[email protected]

04 72 91 34 07 ext. +33

Samy Adrian FOUDIL

CONTACT

[email protected]

07 77 36 37 68 ext. +33

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hospices Civils de Lyon

Other

Registry information

Acronym: EPICAPTURE

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Apr 18, 2025
Registry last updated
Apr 18, 2025

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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