Losartan Modulates Neural Responses to Looming Visual Stimuli: An Eye-tracking Study

April 9, 2024 updated by: Benjamin Becker, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
The main aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of orally administered losartan on the perception of time-to-collision of threatening and non-threatening stimuli by combining a validated looming fear eye-tracking paradigm with a randomized between-subject placebo-controlled pharmacological trial design.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Animal models and initial findings in humans suggest a role of the angiotensin II antagonist losartan in socio- emotional processes. At the same time, the visual system's remarkable ability to perceive and interpret impending threats, notably through the "looming" phenomenon- a distinct pattern of optical expansion on the retina as objects approach, theoretically allows for precise estimation of the time-to-collision (TTC). It was demonstrated that the affective content of looming stimuli influences perceived TTC, with threatening objects judged as approaching sooner than non-threatening objects, hinting at a nuanced interaction between emotional valence and temporal perception. Within this context the present study aims to examine whether angiotensin II blockade via Losartan modulates the perception of time-to-collision towards threatening and non-threatening stimuli. To this end, healthy individuals will undergo a double-blind, between-subjects, placebo-controlled pharmaco-eye-tracking experiment and receive a single oral dose of losartan (50 mg) or placebo before performing a looming fear task 90 minutes after administration. The task paradigm will encompass threatening (butterfly, rabbit) and non-social (spider, snake) stimuli to examine the emotion-specific effects of losartan.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

Study Locations

  • China
    • Sichuan
      • Chengdu, Sichuan, China
        • Recruiting
        • University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy subjects who volunteer to participate and are able to fully understand and agree with this study by written informed consent.
  • Normal or corrected-normal version

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of neuropsychiatric diseases.
  • History of cardiac disease, including arrhythmias, aortic stenosis, or congestive heart failure; history of syncope or unexplained loss of consciousness.
  • History of hepatic diseases, including cholestasis, biliary obstructive disease, or severe liver dysfunction.
  • History of renal diseases, including renal stones or renal failure.
  • History of hyponatremia(Serum sodium <135mmol/L) or hyperkalemia (Serum potassium>5.5mmol/L); history of diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus
  • Known hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to any medication or hormone; strong allergic reaction to food.
  • Infections such as COVID-19 or influenza, or unexplained fever.
  • Subjects with hypertension (BP ≥130/80mmHg) or hypotension (BP ≤ 90/60mmHg).
  • History of alcohol or drug abuse; smoker (≥ 10 cigarettes or ≥ 3 cigars or ≥ 3 pipes/day); smoker using e-cigarettes.
  • Blood donation (≤ 1 month prior to administration).
  • Take oral contraceptives or receive hormonal medications in the three months prior to the experiment.

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

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Losartan group
Drug:Losartan
Drug: Losartan
Administration of losartan tablets (50 mg)
Other Names:
  • Cozaar
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group
Drug: Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Administration of placebo tablets
Other Names:
  • Placebo treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Ratio of judged-time-to-collision to actual-time-to-collision for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after losartan administration
Time Frame: 120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment
Comparison of the ratio between the judged time to collision and the actual time to collision between the treatment groups for threatening (spider, snake) and non-threatening (rabbit, butterfly) stimuli.
120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
First saccade latency(ms) for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after losartan administration
Time Frame: 120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment
Comparison of first saccade latencies between treatment groups for threatening (spider, snake) and non-threatening (rabbit, butterfly) stimuli.
120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment
Fixation duration(ms) for threatening versus non-threatening stimuli after losartan administration
Time Frame: 120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment
Comparison of mean fixation durations between treatment groups for threatening (spider, snake) and non-threatening (rabbit, butterfly) stimuli.
120 minutes - 150 minutes after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Benjamin Becker, Dr, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

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)

March 5, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 15, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 15, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 11, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 9, 2024

Last Verified

April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BAM_lab_eyetracking_04

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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