How brain stimulation and provider expectations change negative feelings
Official title: Neural Mechanisms of Interpersonal Expectations on Negative Affect
Run by Trustees of Dartmouth College · NCT06980090 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We will test whether a non-invasive brain stimulation called tTIS and doctors' positive or negative messages can reduce negative feelings in adults without major psychiatric or neurological conditions.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 55 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 196 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Trustees of Dartmouth College Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Hanover, New Hampshire) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | August 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | March 3, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | June 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06980090 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults without current or past major psychiatric or neurological diagnoses, no recent acute or chronic pain, not on CNS-active medications, and who can attend multiple in-person sessions at Dartmouth College are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People with current depression, bipolar disorder, seizure history, chronic pain, recent substance abuse, contraindications to MRI/tTIS (including pregnancy or implanted metal/electronic devices), or who cannot attend repeated visits are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This within-subject, crossover study uses transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) and scripted placebo messaging to measure changes in negative affect and physiological responses. In Experiment 1, 30 participants complete four counterbalanced sessions crossing active versus sham tTIS with positive versus negative messaging, with multimodal negative affect tasks before and after each 20-minute stimulation targeted at the anterior/mid-cingulate cortex. In Experiment 2, 160 participants (120 patients and 40 physicians) focus on the social placebo manipulation using sham stimulation across two sessions to test how provider interactions change reported affect and physiology. Sessions are separated by at least 48 hours and participants serve as their own controls for within-subject comparisons.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could offer a non-invasive way to reduce negative affect and clarify how clinician messaging enhances treatment effects.
How similar studies have gone: Other non-invasive stimulation methods (like tDCS and TMS) and clinical placebo manipulations have shown mixed but promising effects on mood and pain, while tTIS is a newer, less-tested human application.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 'Doctors' are recruited from medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine and resident physicians at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Exclusion Criteria: * No self-reported current or history of depression, bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric diagnosis * No self-reported current seizure disorder (i.e., seizure within past 10 years), or history of stroke or other major neurological diagnosis that can cause cognitive impairment * No self-reported current chronic pain, or acute pain within three months of the study period * No current migraine disorder (i.e., 15 headache days or more in 1 month) * No use of central nervous system-effective medication or other medication for neurological/psychiatric treatment * No self-reported substance abuse within the last six months * No contraindication to MRI or tTIS (e.g., pregnancy, claustrophobia, pacemakers, ear/cochlear implants, shrapnel injuries, clips, or other ferromagnetic/electrical objects/devices, diagnosed brain abnormality such as tumor, or skin lesions on the scalp.) * No contraindications for induced pain (e.g., no heart disease, high blood pressure, heart surgery, heart problems of any kind, severe asthma, respiratory problems of any kind, fibromyalgia, Raynaud's Syndrome or Disease, chronic pain, diabetes) * Participants must be capable of performing experimental tasks (e.g., are able to read), are fluent or native speakers of English * Participants must be able to tolerate the maximum level of thermal pain stimuli (for thermal stimuli)
Where it's running
-
Dartmouth College, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Hanover, New Hampshire, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Zhaoxing Wei, Ph.D.
- Email: zhaoxing.wei@dartmouth.edu
- Phone: 6033220577
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Attention Bias Modification for Social Anxiety Disorder: Does training help, or is it a placebo effect?
This study tests whether a computerized attention training (ABM) reduces social anxiety symptoms in adults with SAD, and whether any improvement comes from actual attentional changes or from placebo/expectancy factors.
-
Does getting the labor pain relief you expect change postpartum depression risk?
We will see if women whose expectations about labor pain relief are met during a planned vaginal birth are less likely to have postpartum depression.
-
Examining how attention affects the placebo effect
This study is testing how focusing your attention during exercise can change the effects of a placebo drink on healthy people.
-
Understanding patients' expectations before spinal surgery
This study looks at how what patients expect before spinal surgery affects their pain and recovery afterwards.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.