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Stress Trajectories and Anhedonia in Adolescence Research Study

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · with National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) · NCT07040449

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 13–15 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
192
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
March 12, 2025
Record last updated
August 17, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

This project will examine how multiple biological measures from the brain and the body's stress response system contribute to anhedonia (the loss of pleasure) in adolescence. The goal of this project is to see if it is possible to combine these biological measures to describe different patterns of activity in the brain and body that adolescents may have in response to stress.

The main question this study aims to answer is whether different patterns of activity in the brain and body are related to whether adolescents develop anhedonia and how high or low levels of anhedonia are over time.

This study will enroll 192 adolescents who are between 13 and 15 years. Adolescents will complete tasks three times: at the beginning of the study, 10 months after that, and then 10 months after that. In total, they will be part of the study for 20 months. At each time, adolescents will complete surveys, provide samples of spit to measure hormones and provide pictures of their brain to measure brain activity, participate in mildly stressful tasks, and complete different activities that measure how they think. The investigators will also ask each adolescent's parent or legal guardian to answer some surveys about themselves and their child.

Being studied: Montreal Imaging Stress Task; Trier Social Stress Test for Children

Conditions: Anhedonia; Stress Response; Adolescent Development

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 13-15 years old at study entry
  • Ability to understand and sign an assent form
  • Meets study hearing and vision requirements

Exclusion Criteria

  • Current use of medications that would interfere with cardiovascular or endocrine assessments
  • Metal in the body or other MRI exclusion
  • Medical condition or injury that could confound brain imaging evaluations or interfere with cardiovascular or endocrine assessments
  • Impaired intellectual functioning
  • Diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability

Recruiting US locations

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, NC 27599

    Site contact: Clinical Research Coordinator · 919-966-2927 · staars@unc.edu

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Clinical Research Coordinator · (919) 351-5201 · staars@unc.edu
All healthy volunteers studies in North Carolina →
Stress Trajectories and Anhedonia in Adolescence Research Study (NCT07040449) | Bored Studies