Monetary Incentive Delay Task for Probing Reward-related Neural Processes

Launched by STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY · Apr 13, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how young people's brains respond to rewards and how this might relate to their substance use. Researchers are looking for 300 adolescents, both boys and girls, aged 14 to 17 years. To be eligible, participants need to speak English and be able to agree to join the study with their parents' permission. However, those who have recently used certain medications, experienced significant medical issues, or have metal in their bodies won’t be able to participate.

Throughout the study, participants will take part in three in-person visits over three years. During these visits, they will be asked questions about their substance use and undergo brain scans to see how their brains are functioning. Additionally, they will complete short surveys about their substance use every three months for 36 months. This research aims to help scientists understand the changes in the brain during adolescence and how it might affect behaviors related to rewards and substance use.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Males and females ages 14-17 years-old;
• • English-speaking for assent and interview completion;
• • Capacity to provide assent.
• • For parents, the inclusion criteria will be willing and capacity to provide parental permission/consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • current (within 6 months) use of medication that may affect cerebral function
• • history of severe medical or neurological illness, including stroke or seizure;
• • history of head trauma with loss of consciousness;
• • presence of metal in the body;
• • pregnancy or breastfeeding;
• • recent drug or alcohol use determined by positive urine toxicology or breathalyzer (to validate self-report assessment of substance use history);
• • lifetime use of psychotropic or other medication that could likely influence dopamine function, namely stimulant medication or antipsychotic medication, except a subgroup of 25 youth with history of prescribed stimulant medication and a subgroup of 15 youth with history antipsychotic medication will be enrolled for comparison purposes.