Negative Emotions Impact on Decision-Making

Overseen BySilvia Lopez Guzman, M.D.

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Must not be taking: Psychoactive, Corticosteroids, Pain, Antidepressants

Disqualifiers: Unstable medical, Psychiatric, Substance-related, Pregnancy, others

No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how negative emotions, such as stress or hunger, alter decision-making. Participants will encounter various stressors, like watching a video or immersing their hand in ice water (known as the Cold Pressor Test), to observe how these experiences might influence their thinking and choices. Researchers aim to understand these effects in healthy individuals, potentially aiding future mental disorder treatments. The trial seeks healthy individuals aged 18 to 55 willing to participate in several stress tests and decision-making tasks. As an unphased trial, this study allows participants to contribute to foundational research that could lead to breakthroughs in mental health treatment.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that participants do not regularly use psychoactive medications or substances, corticosteroids, or certain pain medications. If you are taking any of these, you may need to stop before participating.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research has shown that the treatments in the "Negative Emotions Impact on Decision-Making" study are safe. In the cold pressor test, participants place a hand or forearm in cold water, causing mild to moderate pain. This pain is typically manageable, temporary, and not harmful.

The study's sections on economic loss, frustration, and negative emotions do not involve physical treatments. They focus on emotional experiences and decision-making tasks, which are non-invasive and safe.

For the pain and thermal pain tests, controlled heat creates temporary discomfort. Research supports these methods as safe, with no lasting effects reported after the test.

Stress induction in research often involves mental tasks or mild challenges, which are safe and temporary. Participants might feel stressed during the test, but these feelings usually dissipate quickly after the session.

Overall, the methods used in this study are standard in research and designed to be safe for participants.¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it aims to understand how negative emotions impact decision-making, which could provide valuable insights into human behavior under stress. Unlike typical studies that focus on treatments like medication or therapy for managing emotions, this study uses unique interventions such as the cold pressor test and thermal pain to induce negative emotions and observe their effects. By exploring how various negative states like frustration, stress, and economic loss influence decisions, the study could pave the way for developing new strategies to improve decision-making under adverse conditions. This research stands out because it combines psychological and physiological approaches to capture a more comprehensive picture of emotional impact on decision-making.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective?

Studies have shown that negative emotions can greatly affect decision-making and thought processes. Research on stress indicates that it can either help or hinder decision-making, depending on the situation. Some studies even suggest that stress doesn't always lead to worse choices. In this trial, participants will undergo different negative state inductions, such as the cold pressor test, which involves exposure to cold stress. This test is known to impair memory and reduce flexible thinking, affecting decision-making. Economic stress, like financial strain, has been found to lower thinking ability and increase the likelihood of mistakes. Feelings of frustration and negative emotions can slow reaction times, increase errors, and disrupt thinking tasks. These findings reveal the complex ways negative emotions influence decision-making, suggesting that understanding these effects could be important for addressing mental health issues.⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ ¹⁰

Who Is on the Research Team?

Silvia Lopez Guzman, M.D.

Principal Investigator

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Healthy adults aged 18 to 55 who can understand and sign consent, read and write English. Excluded are those using psychoactive drugs or corticosteroids, pregnant women, NIMH staff/family, people with chronic pain or metal in the body that affects MRI scans, left-handed individuals for certain tests, and anyone with medical conditions affecting the study.

Inclusion Criteria

Ability of subject to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

I understand my participation will help ensure diversity in the study.

Able to read and write in English to guarantee understanding of all written and spoken instructions, which are in English.

Exclusion Criteria

I have scars, burns, or a recent tattoo that could affect skin sensitivity in the test area.

Has any serious or unstable medical condition or history that in a clinician's assessment implies a cardiovascular, neurological, or physical risk from the study procedures performed to induce negative valence states. This may include chronic systemic disorders that could worsen due to stress (e.g. uncontrolled hypertension, coronary artery disease for example a history of myocardial infarction or stable or unstable angina, or diabetes)

Has any current psychiatric diagnosis (based on SCID) or no diagnosis but scores >=29 on Beck Depression Inventory II or >=26 on Beck Anxiety Inventory

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Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Experimental Intervention

Participants undergo experimental manipulations of state, including exposure to negative valence states such as stress, pain, and craving, followed by decision-making tasks.

3 weeks

3 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after intervention, including assessment of decision-making behavior and brain activity.

2-4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

Cold pressor test
Craving
Economic loss
Frustration
Negative valence emotion
Pain
Stress
Thermal pain

Trial Overview

The trial studies how negative emotions like stress, pain, and craving influence decision-making. Participants undergo emotional stressors (videos, math problems, heat/cold exposure), fill out questionnaires about their state of mind and personality traits while some also perform tasks during an fMRI brain scan.