Development and Validation of Learning and Decision-Making Tasks (NCT05707806)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Background: Substance use disorders (SUD) can be considered disorders in the way people process incentives, learn, and make decisions. To understand why some people develop SUD, researchers need to develop reliable tests that show how people think and learn. This natural history study seeks to develop a set of tasks that could then be used to test how people learn and make decisions. Objective: To develop and validate behavioral tasks that could be used in future studies. Eligibility: Healthy people aged 18-45 years from the Baltimore area. They must also be enrolled in the NIDA screening protocol. Design: Participants will perform different tasks. Most tasks require 1-4 study visits; some may require up to 12. Visits are 1-14 days apart. All visits will last about 1-7 hours. Participants will perform tasks on a computer. As they work they may be given different stimuli: Smells. Participants will sniff odors through a plastic tube or mask on their nose. Flavors. Participants will wear a mouthpiece and small amounts of different flavored liquids will be placed in their mouth. Pictures. Participants will look at different images. Sounds. Participants will wear headphones and various sounds will be played for them. Food. Participants may be asked to eat a meal before, during, or after a task. The researchers will provide the meal. During each task, participants will wear sensors to monitor their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and other physical changes in their bodies. Some participants will have a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. They will lie on a table that slides into a cylinder. They will perform tasks on a computer screen during the fMRI.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: National Institute on Drug Abuse — Baltimore, Maryland
Age range: 18 Years to 45 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse — Baltimore, Maryland
📞 Contact the Study Coordinator
Phone: (800) 535-8254
Email: researchstudies@nida.nih.gov
Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
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💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.