Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Interventional Ages 18 to 35

Whether differences in cognitive control affect real-time fMRI neurofeedback performance

Official title: Individual Differences in Cognitive Control Predict Real-time fMRI Neurofeedback Performance

Run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China · NCT07211269 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This research tries to see if healthy adults' cognitive control skills predict how well they can learn to boost activity in the left anterior insula using real-time fMRI neurofeedback and heartbeat-focused strategies.

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Quick facts

Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years to 35 Years
SexAll
Enrollment40 (estimated)
SponsorUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Academic / other
Locations1 site (Chengdu, Chengdu)
StatusRecruiting
StartedSeptember 3, 2025
Main results expectedDecember 27, 2025
Study endsJanuary 12, 2026
Registry record updatedOctober 7, 2025
Trial IDNCT07211269 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Healthy adults without current or past psychiatric or neurological disorders who can safely undergo MRI (no metal implants or claustrophobia) and can attend two visits at the Chengdu site.

Probably not a fit

People with a history of brain injury, current medical or mental illness, color vision problems, metal in the body, or claustrophobia are excluded and would not be eligible or likely to benefit from participation.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

The study enrolls healthy adults for two visits spaced 3–7 days apart. The first visit collects standardized questionnaires, a heartbeat counting pre-test, and four cognitive control tasks (Go/No-Go, Stroop, task-switching, N-back). The second visit includes anatomical and resting-state MRI scans, four runs of real-time fMRI neurofeedback training targeting the left anterior insula with upregulation using interoceptive strategies, a transfer run without feedback, and a post-test heartbeat counting task. After regulation blocks participants provide pain empathy and strategy efficacy ratings to link neural regulation with behavioral measures.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is most likely to benefit from neurofeedback and guide more personalized approaches to interoceptive and emotional regulation.

How similar studies have gone: Prior real-time fMRI neurofeedback studies targeting the insula and interoception have shown promising but mixed effects, while using cognitive-control measures to predict individual neurofeedback success is relatively novel.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy subjects without any past or present psychiatric or neurological disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of brain injury Medical or mental illness and color blindness or weakness.
* The presence of metal in the body or claustrophobia.

Where it's running

  • University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
    Chengdu, Chengdu, China
    Recruiting

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

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.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.