Deception, Expectations, Prescription Stimulants
Conditions
Brief summary
We propose to evaluate the interaction between expectations of receiving stimulants, neurophysiological activity and enhancement of cognitive performance using fMRI.
Detailed description
Participants will then be randomized in a balanced placebo design (BPD) crossing medication (10 mg of mixed amphetamine salts vs placebo) and expectancy (told active medication vs placebo medication), resulting in 4 different conditions 1) mixed amphetamine salts/told stimulant medication; 2) placebo/told stimulant medication; 3) mixed amphetamine salts/told placebo; and 4) placebo/told placebo). Participants will be assigned to four scanning sessions scheduled one week apart and will experience each condition once counterbalanced across participants. Participants will be administered cognitive tasks in and out of the scanner to determine the effects of medication vs expectancy.
Interventions
DRUGAdderall 10Mg Tablet
Participants will be administered Adderall
DRUGPlacebo
Participants will be administered placebo
Sponsors
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Masking description
This will be a double-blind study. Research assistants will administer capsules, and based on package labeling, tell the participant if they are being administered Adderall or placebo. However, researchers and participants will be blind to which medication is actually being administered.
Intervention model description
2 X 2, within-subjects, balanced placebo design
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 18-30 years old * enrolled as a student at UAB or local college/university * if female, willing to use adequate birth control or abstain from sexual activity
Exclusion criteria
* current or prior head injury * current or prior psychiatric diagnosis (including ADHD) * neurological disorder or stroke, hypertension, history of blood or circulation disorders (e.g., anemia or sickle-cell), diabetes, brain or spinal abnormalities * blood pressure more than 130 systolic and 80 diastolic * heart rate more than 100 beats per minute * pregnancy * current illicit substance use as well as nicotine use * Alcohol or cannabis use that meets DSM-5 criteria for an alcohol or cannabis use disorder * Inability to abstain from alcohol or cannabis the night before and day of the scanning session * Inability to reduce caffeine intake to less than 100 mg on testing days in heavy caffeine users * claustrophobia * hearing impairment * vision impairment that cannot be corrected by MRI-compatible lenses
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| How expectancy will affect cognitive performance | 120 minutes | Using a balanced placebo design, participants will be either administered mixed amphetamine salts or placebo. Their cognitive performance will be assessed in the MRI scanner. The main outcome measure is how the expectancy of stimulants will affect cognitive performance. |
| The impact that stimulants vs. placebo have on the neural circuitry | 120 minutes | Using a balanced placebo design, participants will be either administered mixed amphetamine salts or placebo. Their cognitive performance will be assessed in the MRI scanner. This outcome measure is to determine the impact stimulant administration and expectancy of stimulants have on the neural circuitry that supports sustained attention, inhibitory control, and verbal memory processes. |
| Determine whether stimulant administration and expectancy for stimulants modify the functional connectivity of brain networks | 120 minutes | Using a balanced placebo design, participants will be either administered mixed amphetamine salts or placebo. Their cognitive performance will be assessed in the MRI scanner. This outcome measure is to determine whether stimulant administration and expectancy for stimulants modify the functional connectivity of brain networks that support cognitive processes under investigation. |
Outcome results
None listed