Comparing brain-to-brain signals in couples and strangers using EEG

LOVEH: Linked Outcomes in Various EEG-Hyperscanning Setups

Researchers will see if EEG-recorded brain-to-brain signals differ when healthy adults interact with their romantic partner versus a stranger, both in person and remotely.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Ages: 20 Years to 60 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Charlestown, Massachusetts)
• Trial ID: NCT07385027 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study will use EEG hyperscanning to record brain activity simultaneously from pairs of participants during face-to-face and remote interaction tasks. Twenty romantic couples (40 participants), ages 20–60, will complete baseline questionnaires, pain sensitivity testing, and two EEG sessions in randomized order with their partner and with a stranger. The team will apply computational models to the EEG data to characterize patterns of inter-brain communication and examine effects of age, gender, interoceptive awareness, and attachment. Participation requires attending laboratory visits at the study site for consent, questionnaires, and EEG recordings.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Healthy adults aged 20–60 who have been in a romantic partnership for at least six months, speak English, can consent, are willing to be audio recorded and receive brief experimental pain, and agree to stable medication use are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People with epilepsy or a history of seizures, current chronic pain, severe psychiatric disorders, illicit drug or opioid use, or those unwilling to be recorded, receive brief pain, or comply with substance-use restrictions are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could improve understanding of how people synchronize brain activity during social interactions and inform future therapies or technologies that rely on social brain mechanisms.

How similar studies have performed: Prior EEG hyperscanning work has reported inter-brain synchrony during social interactions, but applying detailed computational models to compare couples versus strangers is a newer approach.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Healthy volunteers in a romantic partnership for at least 6 months.
2. 20-60 years of age
3. Ability to fully understand and consent to study procedures.
4. Fluent in English
5. Are on stable doses of medication for 30 days prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages during the trial.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of any contraindications to EEG scanning.
2. Illicit drug or opioid use.
3. Epilepsy, seizures provoked by lights or a prior history of seizures.
4. Presence of any illness that is judged to interfere with the trial. For example: severe psychiatric disorders according to the DSM-IV manual.
5. Current chronic pain conditions.
6. Unwillingness to be audio recorded.
7. Unwillingness to receive brief experimental pain on the lower left leg.
8. Unwillingness to withhold from consuming marijuana 48 hours prior to scans.
9. Unwillingness to withhold from consuming nicotine 4 hours prior to scans.
10. Any impairment, activity, or situation that in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol.

Where this trial is running

Charlestown, Massachusetts

• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital — Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Alessandra Anzolin, PhD — Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Study coordinator: Lara Gardiner

Conditions Brain to Brain Communication; Hyperscanning; EEG; Healthy Control