Acoustic Stimulation, Sleep, and Cognitive-Emotional Processes in Young Adults With Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

NCT ID
NCT05802004
Registry status
Recruiting
Study type
Not specified in the registry data
Phase
Not applicable
Sponsor
Michelle Stepan

Overview

ClinicalTrials.gov lists this study as Recruiting.

Enrollment: 40 participants (Estimated).

What is being studied

No interventions are listed in the registry data.

Who may be eligible

Ages
Not specified in the registry data
Sex
Not specified in the registry data
Healthy volunteers accepted
No

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the following eligibility criteria.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18-25. Equal numbers of men and women will be included. 2. Normal hearing. 3. Elevated anxiety or depression symptoms. This will be determined using the PROMIS anxiety and PROMIS depression scales. Participants with T-scores ≥ 60 (i.e., ≥ than 1 standard deviation above the mean) on either or both scales will be eligible for participation. 4. Elevated sleep disturbance. This will be determined using the PROMIS sleep disturbance scale. Participants with T-scores ≥ 55 on the PROMIS sleep disturbance scale will be eligible for participation. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of a severe chronic or psychiatric condition including psychosis, bipolar disorder, developmental disorders, or substance use disorder. 2. Current use of psychotropic medications or medications affecting sleep/wake function, such as antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, steroids, and stimulants. Rationale: These medications may affect sleep and cognitive-emotional function. 3. Substance abuse. Rationale: Substance abuse may affect sleep and cognitive-emotional function. 4. Consumption of \> 14 standard alcoholic drinks per week. Rationale: excessive alcohol consumption may interfere with sleep and cognitive-emotional function. 5. Consumption of \> 400mg of caffeine per day, which is roughly equivalent to 3-4 8oz cups of coffee per day. 6. Drug or alcohol use \< 48 hours before the in-lab overnight sessions. Rationale: Recent drug or alcohol use could affect sleep, cognitive-emotional processes, and poses a safety risk. 7. Severe insomnia or sleep apnea symptoms. Insomnia symptoms will be determined using the Insomnia Severity Index. Participants with severe insomnia (i.e., scores \> 21) will not be eligible. Sleep apnea symptoms will be determined using the STOP-Bang questionnaire. Participants with scores ≥ 3 will not be eligible. Rationale: Sleep disturbances which result in low sleep efficiency and frequent awakenings during the night may reduce the effectiveness of acoustic stimulation which targets the deepest stage of sleep (i.e., slow-wave sleep). 8. Extreme bedtimes (\< 10:00pm, \> 1:00am) or wake times (\< 6:00am, \> 10:00am). Rationale: Participants with extreme bed or wake times may have difficulty falling asleep, waking up, or obtaining a sufficient amount of sleep during the in-lab overnight sessions. 9. Short (\<5hrs) or long (\>9hrs) average sleep duration. Rationale: short or long sleepers may have different sleep profiles which could impact the effectiveness of the acoustic stimulation intervention. 10. Uncorrected vision problems. 11. Claustrophobia. Rationale: MRI safety criteria. 12. Metal in body. Rationale: MRI safety criteria. 13. Body Mass Index (BMI) \> 40. Rationale: MRI safety criteria. 14. Pregnancy. Rationale: MRI safety criteria. 15. Left handedness. Rationale: Left-handed people may have different lateralization of neural functioning which could affect the fMRI results. 16. Formal vocal training and Good/Very Good at singing in tune. Rationale: The purpose of the karaoke task is to induce negative self-referential emotions via out-of-tune singing. 17. Does not own a smartphone or tablet. Rationale: Participants may need to download an app (SleepMapper or Alfin) to download their sleep data from the headband device when wearing it at home. 18. Inability or unwillingness to complete study procedures. 19. Hairstyles that prevent access to the scalp (e.g., weave). Rationale: Polysomnography for the in-lab overnights cannot be applied with hairstyles which prevent access to the scalp to apply electrodes.

Study locations

1 study location is listed.

Site recruitment status is not specified in the registry data for these locations.

Countries: United States

  • Pennsylvania, United States: 1

Sample of listed locations

  • University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States — Site recruitment status not specified in the registry data

Study details

Start date
April 24, 2024
Primary completion date
March 1, 2027
First posted
April 6, 2023

Source and update information

Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT ID
NCT05802004
Registry last updated
September 16, 2026
QualifiedStudies registry data refreshed
September 21, 2026

View NCT05802004 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information can change. Confirm current study details with the study team or the registry.

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