Emotional Stress, Life Stress, Psychological Stress, Social Stress, Stress
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will identify neural mechanisms associated with changes in emotion regulation following participation in stress reduction programs.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALStress Reduction
We are comparing 2 well-studied approaches to stress reduction. All participants will receive stress reduction instructions that have already been proven to effectively reduce stress. Our goal is to compare the neural mechanisms associated with both approaches.
Sponsors
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18-50 years of age * Right-handed * Stressed
Exclusion criteria
* Lifetime history of schizophrenia or psychosis * Psychiatric illness * History of seizure or significant head trauma * Use of psychotropic medications * Metallic implants or devices contraindicating magnetic resonance imaging * Claustrophobia * Pregnancy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in gray matter structure | 8 weeks | Study participants will undergo an MRI scan before and after attending an 8-week stress reduction program. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emotion regulation | 8-weeks | Study participants will do an emotion regulation task while they are in the MRI scanner. We will assess brain activity and skin conductance during the task. Changes in these measures will be assessed before and after enrollment in the stress reduction program |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed