Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT03380260

Investigating Neural Processing of Social Stimuli

The primary goal of the present study is to test whether neural activity in brain regions associated with processing threat and social stimuli may underlie paranoid thinking.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy Adults

Age range

18 year–55 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Advanced Research Imaging Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States

About this study

Paranoia is a prominent symptom of psychosis that occurs in several other diagnoses, as well as the general population, and that is associated with significant distress and impairment. Previous research suggests that increased baseline activity of the amygdala and related neural circuits may serve as a mechanism for paranoid ideation. This exploratory study will use a paranoia induction procedure in healthy individuals who vary in pre-existing levels of paranoid ideation to test whether increases in self-reported paranoia are accompanied by increases in resting cerebral blood flow (CBF), decreased stimulus-driven neural activity in social processing networks, and increased behavioral perceptions of untrustworthiness.

Participants will be randomly assigned to participate in a paranoia induction procedure or a control condition and will then complete neuroimaging and behavioral assessments.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • between the ages of 18 and 55

Exclusion criteria

  • current psychiatric diagnosis
  • current use of psychotropic medications
  • history of head trauma with loss of consciousness for more than 15 minutes
  • presence of neurological or neurodegenerative disorder
  • sensory impairments that preclude assessment
  • presence of intellectual disability
  • contraindications for MRI (e.g., metallic implants or pregnancy)

Treatment and study plan

Paranoia Induction

Behavioral

Behavioral procedure involving social exclusion and negative feedback to induce paranoia

Primary outcomes

  1. Resting cerebral blood flow (CBF)

    Time frame: CBF measurements will be obtained during the study visit and will last approximately 9 minutes.

    CBF in amygdala and related neural circuits

Secondary outcomes

  1. Amount of Neural Activity

    Time frame: Measurements will be obtained during the study visit and will last approximately 25 minutes.

    Task-related activation of amygdala and related neural circuits measured with blood-oxygenation-level-dependent imaging

  2. Ratings of Trustworthiness

    Time frame: Data will be obtained during the study visit and will last approximately 12 minutes.

    Behavioral perceptions of the trustworthiness of others

  3. Self-reported paranoid ideation

    Time frame: Data will be obtained during the study visit and will last approximately 5 minutes.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas at Dallas

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Investigating Neural Processing of Social Stimuli: Investigating a Neurobehavioral Mechanism of Paranoia

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Dec 21, 2017
Registry last updated
Apr 28, 2021

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.