Geolocation Positional System (GPS) Experience

Individual Differences in Emotional and Behavioral Patterns and Their Relationship to Cognition

The purpose of this study is to use smartphone technology to capture individual location emotional and cognitive data, to examine how real-world behaviors thoughts, emotions, and brain activity are related to one another.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Depression; Anhedonia; Emotions
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Modifying Exploration

Detailed Description

The observational portion of this study was initially approved in 2015, this is a subset of the initially approved study and it is a clinical trial of 100 participants.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Isabella C D'Ottone, BA; Phone Number: 3052849555; Email: icd30@miami.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Coral Gables, Florida, United States, 33146
      • Recruiting
      • University of Miami
      • Principal Investigator: Aaron S Heller, PhD
      • Contact: Isabella C D'Ottone, BA; Phone Number: 3052849555; Email: icd30@miami.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must agree to give informed consent
• Must be willing to have an functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) scan
• Must be able to receive and respond to daily text messages assessing current emotion
• Must be willing to download and run a GPS tracking application (FollowMee) onto their smartphone for a four-month period

Exclusion Criteria:

• history of head trauma, seizures, or neurological disorders
• severe/unstable medical conditions
• conditions that interfere with MRI
• pregnancy
• lifetime psychotic/bipolar disorder
• chronic/severe substance or alcohol abuse/dependence
• antipsychotic medication

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Modifying Exploration; Individuals will be asked on certain days to increase their levels of exploration, and some days be asked to decrease their levels of exploration. Participants will do this for up to six months.

Behavioral: Modifying Exploration; Participants in this group will use a mobile phone sensor data application that uses an accelerometer, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) and/or GPS designed for smartphone devices. This technology allows the phones to capture information automatically and passively on the participant's activity. The application will be collecting participants' data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Participants will be asked to make alterations to their exploration levels approximately 20 days of their participation in the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in positive emotional response as measured by ecological momentary assessment	Emotional response will be measured by computing a total mean score of "happy", "excited", "content", "attentive", "relaxed". The total mean score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater positive emotional response.	Baseline, up to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in negative emotional response as measured by ecological momentary assessment	Emotional response will be measured by computing a total mean score of "sad", "tired", "upset", "irritable", "anxious". The total mean score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater negative emotional response.	Baseline, up to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Miami
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aaron S Heller, PhD, University of Miami

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 2, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 7, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 7, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Behavioral Symptoms; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Depression; Anhedonia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20150678; R01MH133693 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No