Understanding how negative emotions affect decision-making
Official title: State-Dependent Interoception, Value-Based Decision Making, and Introspection
Run by National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) · NCT05666726 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing how negative feelings like stress and pain affect decision-making in healthy people through a series of experiments and questionnaires.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 55 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 900 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC) NIH |
| Locations | 1 site (Bethesda, Maryland) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 25, 2023 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2029 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | October 2, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT05666726 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates for this study are healthy individuals aged 18 to 55 who can understand and sign informed consent.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with serious medical conditions or those unable to comply with study procedures may not benefit from this study.
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 impact of negative emotional states, such as stress and pain, on decision-making processes in healthy individuals. Participants will undergo a series of experiments where they will experience different types of emotional stressors and complete questionnaires about their personal history and state of mind. The research aims to explore how these emotional states influence brain activity and decision-making behavior, with a focus on interoception and metacognition. The study will involve three clinic visits over three weeks, during which participants will engage in various tasks designed to induce specific emotional states.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved understanding and treatment strategies for mental disorders influenced by emotional states.
How similar studies have gone: While the specific approach of this study may be novel, similar studies have shown that emotional states can significantly influence decision-making processes.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: Subject selections will be equitable among those individuals who meet the inclusion criteria. Every effort will be made to balance sex and race. In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria: * Ability of subject to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document. * All sexes; Age 18 to 55. * Able to read and write in English to guarantee understanding of all written and spoken instructions, which are in English. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: For all experiments: * Unable to comply with study procedures or follow-up visits * Has any serious or unstable medical condition or history that in a clinician's assessment implies a cardiovascular, neurological, or physical risk from the study procedures performed to induce negative valence states. This may include chronic systemic disorders that could worsen due to stress (e.g. uncontrolled hypertension, coronary artery disease for example a history of myocardial infarction or stable or unstable angina, or diabetes) * Has any self-reported current psychiatric diagnosis (based on self-reported medical history) * Scores \>=29 on Beck Depression Inventory II or \>=26 on Beck Anxiety Inventory * Endorses any kind of problematic substance-related, gambling, or other addictive behavior disorder (such as videogames, social-networking, online shopping, etc.) as indicated by scores \>=6 on the Generalized Problematic Behavior Severity Index * Regular use of psychoactive medications or psychoactive substances * Regular use of corticosteroids * Is pregnant For stress and pain induction: * Has a major medical condition or medical history that in a clinician s assessment could affect temperature sensitivity, pain thresholds, or ability to comply with study procedures. This may include cardiovascular, autonomic, neurological, psychiatric, or chronic systemic disorders (including but not limited to stroke, blindness, deafness, history of brain damage, neurodegenerative, neurotoxic or demyelinating disorder, or diabetes) * Has a medical condition that in a clinician s assessment might affect somatosensation (e.g., Raynaud s disease, peripheral neuropathy, or circulatory disorder) For pain induction: * Has a current chronic pain condition or has had chronic pain in the past (painful condition lasting more than six months) * Has a dermatological condition such as scars or burns, or has had a tattoo in the testing region within the previous 4 weeks that might influence cutaneous sensibility * Regular and recent use of prescription or over-the-counter medication that has a significant effect on pain or heat perception. These include medications such as centralacting agents such as opiates (morphine, tramadol), antidepressants (amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran), anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin), anxiolytics (barbiturates, benzodiazepines), hypnotics (zolpidem, sodium oxybate), antipsychotics (valproate, lithium, olanzapine), antimigraine agents (sumatriptan, ergotamine), and muscle relaxants (cyclobenzaprine, carisoprodol). Use of analgesic medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, salicylates, and acetaminophen, taken on an as needed basis is acceptable as long as the last dose taken was within 5 half-lives of testing. For craving induction: * Has a condition that in a clinician s assessment could preclude the ability to hold 4-6 hours of fasting or that is associated with a risk of hypoglycemia (such as diabetes, kidney disease, insulinoma, adrenal or pituitary tumors or disorders, or anorexia nervosa) * Is currently engaged in any kind of diet medically- or self-prescribed or endorses a very strong desire to start a diet that involves eliminating or decreasing carbohydrate consumption * Has a history of food allergies such as tree-nut or peanut allergy. For MRI experiments: * Individuals with conditions that could pose a risk relating to the safety of the MRI procedure but do not meet specific exclusion criteria for all experiments or for specific inductions will be excluded from the MRI portion of the protocol but may participate in the Behavioral Sub-study. Such conditions include: * Those with ferromagnetic metal in the cranial cavity or eye (e.g. aneurysm clip, implanted neural stimulator, cochlear implant, ocular foreign body) * Those with an abnormality on a structural MRI * Those with an implanted cardiac pacemaker or auto-defibrillator * Those with an insulin pump * Those with an irremovable body piercing * Pregnancy (based on urine test completed within 24 hours prior to scan) * Left-handed (only for MRI sub-study and if thermal pain stimulation is involved)
Where it's running
-
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Silvia Lopez Guzman, M.D. — National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study coordinator: Silvia Lopez Guzman, M.D.
- Email: nimhcdn@mail.nih.gov
- Phone: (301) 451-7822
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Chromium Picolinate for Appetite and Cravings in Overweight Adults
A remote 8-week program tests whether daily chromium picolinate helps reduce hunger and cravings in adults with BMI 25–31 who are overweight.
-
Neural links for real-world emotions in mood and anxiety
Researchers are testing how real-life emotional moments relate to brain activity and stress responses in young adults with mood and anxiety symptoms, using smartphones, self-reports, tasks, and MRI.
-
Work-Related Frustration and Higher Blood Pressure Risk in Everyday Adults
This observational study tests whether stress and frustration at work relate to blood pressure patterns that signal higher cardiovascular risk among adults aged 40–65 who are working and have no prior cardiovascular disease or blood pressure treatment.
-
Using dynamic visual noise to reduce alcohol cravings and drinking in college students
This study will test whether watching brief moving black-and-white square videos (dynamic visual noise) can lower alcohol cravings and drinking in college students who experience cravings at least once a week.
-
Can CBD help with alcohol withdrawal and craving
This study tests whether cannabidiol (CBD) given with standard care can reduce withdrawal symptoms and craving in adults with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder during a short inpatient withdrawal period.
-
Probenecid to reduce alcohol craving and consumption
This trial will test whether taking daily probenecid (2 g/day) reduces craving and drinking in adults with moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder.
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.