Neural and Physiological Responses to Real-World Experiences

UCLA researchers looking for healthy individuals (aged 35-50) who have a home computer with internet access, are not pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding (if female), to participate in a study investigating whether real-world experiences alter the brain and body. This study takes place over an eight week period and involves providing the names of 8 close friends or family members, completing a neuroimaging session, providing blood and saliva (for genetic analysis), and a 6-week period in which participants login twice a week to complete online questionnaires. Compensation is up to $210 for those who complete all aspects of the study. Please email realworld.ucla@gmail.com for more information.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Gene Expression
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Writing about people; Other: Writing about places, objects

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 70
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
      • UCLA CTRC & Brain Mapping Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 35 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adults between the ages of 35-50

Exclusion Criteria:

Following a structured telephone interview, prospective participants with the following conditions will not be able to participate:

1. claustrophobia, left-handedness, or presence of metal in their body (for the neuroimaging procedures),
2. possible presence of a depressive disorder, which may interfere with the gratitude intervention (assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire; Spitzer et al., 1999),
3. regular use of medications that may impact inflammatory processes (anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, opioids),
4. current smokers or excessive caffeine users (> 600 mg/day) because of known effects on inflammation, and
5. pregnancy (which would affect oxytocin gene expression).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Writing condition; Subjects will be asked to write about other individuals in their lives.	Behavioral: Writing about people; Subjects will be asked to write about other people in their lives once a week for 6-weeks.
Placebo Comparator: Writing; Subjects will be asked to write about places or objects in their lives.	Other: Writing about places, objects

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
inflammatory gene expression	Changes in inflammatory gene expression from pre- to post-intervention.	baseline, six weeks post manipulation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
neural activity	Changes in neural activity from pre- to post-intervention.	baseline, six weeks post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 1, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 5, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): November 7, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 11, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2015
• Last Verified: December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: GGSC-GRAT