Chatbot with Motivational Interviewing to See If Affective Arousal Changes in College Students with Anhedonia

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This study tests a Motivational Interviewing–based AI chatbot against an active control chatbot in college students with elevated anhedonia and depressive symptoms. Participants are randomly assigned to either the MI chatbot or a control chatbot for one week and complete pre- and post-intervention emotional video tasks during functional MRI to measure arousal and neural responses. The design uses an active-control condition and pre/post assessments to examine whether the MI approach can modulate affective arousal linked to positive, neutral, and negative stimuli. Outcomes include self-reported arousal and fMRI-derived neural responses to emotional stimuli. The study targets healthy individuals with elevated symptoms to explore potential neurobehavioral effects of AI-assisted motivational interviewing.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* 18-40 years
* Right-handed
* Normal or corrected normal visual acuity
* Participants must show elevated anhedonia and depressive symptoms at screening, defined as a total score of 22 or higher on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale and a score of 14 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of major central nervous system disorders, such as epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or brain tumors.
* History of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, or other psychotic disorders.
* History of substance or alcohol use disorder or substance or alcohol misuse within the past 12 months that may affect study participation or outcome assessment.
* Individuals currently at high risk of suicide, severe self-harm, or experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis.
* Individuals who are currently using psychiatric medications or have undergone psychotherapy within the past 4 weeks that may significantly affect mood, motivation, or reward processing.
* Severe vision or hearing impairments that cannot be corrected and would interfere with task performance.
* Contraindications to MRI scanning, including metallic implants, pacemakers, severe claustrophobia, or other conditions incompatible with MRI.
* Pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Where it's running

• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
  Chengdu, Sichuan, China Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Benjamin Becker, Dr
• Email: bbecker@hku.hk
• Phone: (852) 3917-5097

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.