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NCT Number: NCT07252947

Stress and Anxiety Effects on Valuation

The purpose of this study is to understand how stress, anxiety, and negative affect change learning and decision-making processes. The primary objective is to assess two forms of decision-making-reward adaptation and emotion prediction errors-differ as a function of stress and anxiety. The secondary objectives are to assess how individual differences measured in our studies relate to these decision variables.

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Key information

Conditions

Reward Value Level

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

NYU Langone Health

New York, 10016, 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

Aims 1-3: To be eligible for participation in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  • 18-65 years of age
  • Able to speak, read, and write fluently in English
  • Be willing and able to follow study procedures and provide informed consent.

Aim 4: To be eligible for participation in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  • 18-65 years of age
  • Diagnosis of GAD
  • Able to speak, read, and write fluently in English
  • Be willing and able to follow study procedures and provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Aims 1-3: Individuals will be excluded from participation if any of the following criteria are met:

  • History of or medication for neurologic or psychiatric disease
  • High-blood pressure or heart condition
  • Diabetes, food allergies, metabolic disorders or history of eating disorder
  • Use of corticosteroids or beta-blockers
  • Pregnancy

Aim 4: Individuals will be excluded from participation if any of the following criteria are met:

  • High-blood pressure or heart condition
  • Diabetes, food allergies, metabolic disorders or history of eating disorder
  • Use of corticosteroids or beta-blockers
  • Lifetime history of bipolar disorder or any psychotic disorder; substance use disorder in past 3 months; eating disorder in past 6 months; current major depressive disorder (past is allowed)
  • Active suicidal ideation with plan and intent (indicated by score >=4 on the Columbia Suicide Severity Scale)
  • Not on stable dose of psychiatric medication for at least 4 weeks prior to study participation
  • Pregnancy

Treatment and study plan

Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task (SECPT)

Behavioral

The SECPT is a validated laboratory stressor that combines physiological stress with social evaluative components; it is widely used to elicit acute stress responses in controlled settings. Participants are asked to submerge their nondominant hand into an ice-cold water (0-4°C) for 3 minutes, while videotaped and observed by one neutral-faced experimenter.

Non-Stressful Control Task

Behavioral

Participants assigned to the warm water control condition will perform a non-evaluative task with warm water.

Primary outcomes

  1. Subjective Value Assigned to Food Stimuli

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Measured as participants' willingness-to-pay ($) for snack foods across the behavioral task. (Aims 1 and 4).

  2. Valence Rating Score of OASIS Images

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Valence is rated on a scale from 0 (very negative) to 6 (very positive). (Aims 2 and 4)

  3. Pleasantness Rating Score of OASIS Images

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Pleasantness is rated on a scale from 0 (very unpleasant) to 6 (very pleasant). (Aims 2 and 4)

  4. Intensity Rating Score of OASIS Images

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Intensity is rated on a scale from 0 (very low) to 6 (very high). (Aims 2 and 4)

  5. Emotion Predictions - Valence

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Difference in valence ratings before and after trial outcomes. (Aims 3 and 4)

  6. Emotion Predictions - Pleasantness

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Difference in pleasantness ratings before and after trial outcomes. (Aims 3 and 4)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Score

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    The PSS is a 10-item assessment of stressful feelings and thoughts over the past month; each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (fairly often). The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 0-20. Higher scores indicate greater levels of perceived stress. (Aims 3 and 4)

  2. Holmes-RaHe Life Stress Inventory Score

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    Measurement of lifetime stress; comprises 43 items, each item represents a stressful event that may have occurred over the course of the participant's lifetime. The total score is the total number of stressful events that have occured; the total score ranges from 0-43; higher scores indicate greater lifetime stress. (Aims 3 and 4)

  3. Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) Score

    Time frame: Study Visit (Day 1 - Approx. 2 Hours)

    The MAIA-2 is a 37-item assessment of interoceptive awareness. Each item is rated on a 6-point Likert scale from 0 (never) to 5 (always); the total score is the average of responses and ranges from 0 to 5; higher scores indicate greater equates to more awareness of bodily sensation.

Study contacts

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

Ariana Wahab

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-404-3850

Candace Raio, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-404-4223

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

NYU Langone Health

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2028
First posted
Nov 28, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 22, 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.