- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT04577911
How is Social Connection Represented in the Brain?
November 4, 2022 updated by: Meghan Meyer, Trustees of Dartmouth College
Using the Brain to Reveal Mental Representations of Subjective Connection
Nearly half of the U.S. population sometimes or always experiences loneliness, which is alarming given that loneliness confers risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes.
Extensive research suggests loneliness is characterized by subjective isolation: many lonely individuals maintain a number of relationships but still report feeling lonely.
The goal of this proposal is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to reveal how the brain represents our subjective connection to and isolation from other people, which will ultimately inform optimal ways to intervene to reduce loneliness.
Study Overview
Detailed Description
Extensive research suggests loneliness is characterized by subjective isolation: many lonely individuals maintain a number of relationships but still report feeling lonely.
Thus, a neurobiological account of loneliness requires that we understand how the brain represents our subjective connections to others and how loneliness alters these representations.
The long-term goal of this proposal is to identify how subjective isolation is represented in the brain in order to identify novel ways to intervene on this representation to attenuate loneliness.
We propose that the brain organizes our representations of people based on our subjective connection to them and that loneliness systematically alters this organization.
In Specific Aim 1, we will determine whether subjective closeness organizes self and other representations in the brain.
While undergoing fMRI, participants will complete tasks in which they reflect on themselves and other people.
They will also report on their subjective closeness to the other people.
We will test whether the brain organizes mental representations of the self and one's own social network members based on subjective closeness.
In Specific Aim 2, we will determine how loneliness modulates self and other representations in the brain.
In Specific, Exploratory Aim 3, we will determine the cognitive consequences of altered self and other representation in loneliness.
Our proposal is imperative for ultimately revealing neurocognitive mechanisms to intervene on to reduce loneliness.
Study Type
Observational
Enrollment (Anticipated)
248
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Contact
- Name: Meghan L Meyer, PhD
- Phone Number: 16505211701
- Email: meghan.l.meyer@dartmouth.edu
Study Locations
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New Hampshire
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Hanover, New Hampshire, United States, 03755
- Recruiting
- Dartmouth College
-
Contact:
- Meghan L Meyer, PhD
- Phone Number: 650-521-1701
- Email: meghan.l.meyer@dartmouth.edu
-
-
Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
18 years to 55 years (Adult)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
N/A
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Sampling Method
Non-Probability Sample
Study Population
Participants will be representative of the general population of the Dartmouth community.
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- safe for MRI scanning
- not taking psychiatric medication
Exclusion Criteria:
- not safe for MRI scanning
- taking psychiatric medication
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Observational Models: Other
- Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Time Frame |
---|---|
Blood Oxygenated-Level Dependent (BOLD) Response
Time Frame: 2 hours
|
2 hours
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Sponsor
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Meghan Meyer, PhD, Dartmouth College
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
April 1, 2021
Primary Completion (Anticipated)
June 1, 2025
Study Completion (Anticipated)
July 1, 2025
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
September 30, 2020
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 30, 2020
First Posted (Actual)
October 8, 2020
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
November 8, 2022
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
November 4, 2022
Last Verified
November 1, 2022
More Information
Terms related to this study
Other Study ID Numbers
- 1R01MH125406-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Undecided
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.
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