How a short social stress task changes brain activity measured by fMRI

Investigating the Effects of Social Stress on Brain Imaging

We will test if a brief social stress task changes brain activity on fMRI in healthy adults aged 18–55.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 55 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Trial ID: NCT05591404 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This randomized, parallel-group study will enroll 50 healthy right-handed adults who are assigned to either the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or to watch a nature film prior to scanning. Participants will complete task-based fMRI measures probing emotional processing and self-referential processing to compare brain activation after stress versus a neutral condition. Screening includes psychiatric, neurological, pregnancy, and urine drug checks, and medication stability is required. The work is conducted at MIT with clinical and research support from Massachusetts General Hospital.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are healthy, English-fluent right-handed adults aged 18–55 with low social anxiety (LSAS <30), stable medications, negative pregnancy and drug tests, and no major medical, neurological, or recent substance-use histories.

Not a fit: People with current major psychiatric diagnoses, recent substance use disorders, significant neurological or medical illnesses, diabetes, pregnancy, or those outside the age or handedness criteria are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how brief social stress alters brain circuits linked to anxiety, helping researchers design better neuroimaging studies and potentially informing future interventions.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research using the TSST has reliably induced physiological and neural stress responses, though applying the TSST immediately before task-based fMRI in a randomized sample is less commonly done.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent.
* Sufficiently fluent in English to participate in the trial.
* Between 18-55 years of age (inclusive).
* Right-hand dominant.
* Current medications are stable for past 30 days (no changes to dose or frequency).
* Negative result on pregnancy test (if female).
* Negative result on urine drug screening.
* Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS \<30).

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, delusional disorders.
* History of eating disorder within past 6 months.
* History of any traumatic brain injury.
* Currently diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.
* Presence of severe medical illness that would prevent completion of study procedures.
* Presence of significant neurological illness or cognitive dysfunction (e.g.; seizures, dementia).
* History of substance use disorder within past 6 months (other than nicotine and caffeine).
* Use of any cannabis-containing products in past 30 days (CBD or THC).
* Use of benzodiazepines in past 2 weeks.
* Use of alpha- or beta-blockers in the past week.
* History of claustrophobia.
* Contraindications for MRI (e.g.; shrapnel).
* Presence of any other medical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may interfere with the study procedures.

Where this trial is running

Cambridge, Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: John Gabrieli, PhD — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Study coordinator: Omar Rutledge, MS

Conditions Social Stress; fMRI