Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05524597

Writing About Experiences and Health in Older Adults II

UCLA researchers looking for healthy older adults (aged 65+) to participate in a study investigating how writing about experiences can affect your brain and body.

Once a week for 6 weeks, participants will write about their experiences and fill out online questionnaires. Participants will also come to the UCLA campus to complete a neuroimaging session (fMRI), provide a blood spot sample, and fill out questionnaires 2 times: once prior to the 6-week writing period and once immediately after the 6-week writing period.

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Social Psychology

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Center for Cognitive Neuroscience

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Naomi Eisenberger

CONTACT

[email protected]

3108494330

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

Healthy adults age 65 years and older

Exclusion criteria

current smokers
active, uncontrolled medical disorders
chronic infection (e.g., Hepatitis C, HIV)
use of certain medications (steroid use, opioid use)
psychiatric disorders (e.g., current major depression, bipolar disorder)
body mass index (BMI) greater than 35
left-handed
claustrophobic
metal in body

Other exclusion criteria may apply.

Treatment and study plan

Writing Intervention

Behavioral

Participants will be asked to write about different kinds of experiences.

Primary outcomes

Change in Psychological Distress

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

Composite measure of depression, anxiety, stress (Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger Trait Anxiety, and Perceived Stress Scale)
Change in Social Support

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

measure of perceived social support (Social Provisions Scale)
Change in Social Participation

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

measure of participation in social activities (Lifestyle Activities Questionnaire)
Change in Inflammatory Gene Expression

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

changes in proinflammatory gene expression
Change in Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) Activity in response to stress

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

Parameter estimates from dACC region-of-interest
Change in Anterior Insula Activity in response to stress

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

Parameter estimates from bilateral anterior insula region-of-interest
Change in Amygdala Activity in response to threat

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

Parameter estimates from bilateral amygdala region-of-interest
Change in Ventral Striatum Activity in response to prosocial behavior

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

Parameter estimates from bilateral ventral striatum region-of-interest
Change in Septal Area Activity in response to prosocial behavior

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks

Parameter estimates from septal area region-of-interest

Secondary outcomes

Change in Memory

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

changes in recall ability (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test)
Change in Beliefs about Aging

Time frame: Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks

changes in cognitive, affective, and social beliefs about aging (Expectations Regarding Aging survey)

Study contacts

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

Naomi Eisenberger, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

3108494330

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2023
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Sep 1, 2022
Registry last updated: Jul 14, 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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Completed