Understanding how anxiety affects substance use in adolescents

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 investigates the relationship between anxiety symptoms and adverse pathways to substance use in adolescents aged 12-14. It aims to explore how changes in neural connectivity and physiological stress responses during adolescence contribute to this relationship. Participants will undergo neuroimaging, complete questionnaires, and have their physiological responses monitored during a stress-inducing task. The study will recruit 200 youth, focusing on those at high risk for substance use based on specific behavioral and emotional characteristics.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Male or female
* 12-14 years old,
* Report symptoms of anxiety
* Understand and sign an assent, and parents will sign a permission and a consent document in English
* Meets study hearing and vision requirements
* Substance use naïve

Exclusion Criteria:

* Has any foreign metal objects or implants as determined by the safety questionnaires (e.g., bone screws, shunts or body piercing that can't be removed, etc.)
* Has been diagnosed with psychosis or a severe emotional disturbance.
* Has used alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana more than 3 times.
* Is pregnant. Girls who self-report pregnancy may not participate in the stress evaluation or the MRI scan.
* Is taking any medications that directly alter cardiovascular function (e.g., propranolol or other beta blockers).
* Any current or lifetime treatment with antipsychotic medication.
* Has had a head injury that resulted in a loss of consciousness for more than 5 minutes.
* Is planning to get non-removable metal braces.
* Impaired intellectual functioning (full-scale intelligence quotient \<70).
* Past or current history of a clinically significant central nervous system that could confound brain imaging evaluations.

Where it's running

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
  Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Aysenil Belger, PhD — University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Study coordinator: Aysenil Belger, PhD
• Email: aysenil.belger@unc.edu
• Phone: (919)-260-9822‬

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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.