CompletedNot Applicable

The Association Between the Stress Hormone Cortisol and Decision-making

Canada116 participantsStarted 2021-09-13

Plain-language summary

The goal of this study is to learn how acute psychosocial stress influences decision-making in healthy young adults. It will also examine whether cortisol reactivity, a biological stress response, changes the influence of physiological emotional signals on decision-making (i.e., the gut feeling indicating risks). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor affect the development of physiological emotional signals during decision-making? 2. Does cortisol reactivity moderate the relationship between physiological emotional signals and decision-making? 3. Are there sex differences in these relationships? Researchers will compare participants exposed to a standardized psychosocial stress procedure, with participants exposed to a non-stressful control condition. Participants will: 1. Be randomly assigned to either a psychosocial stress condition or a control condition. 2. Complete a gambling decision-making task following the experimental manipulation. 3. Provide multiple saliva samples and subjective stress ratings throughout the session to assess stress reactivity. 4. Undergo continuous electrodermal activity recording during the decision-making task to measure physiological emotional signals.

Who can participate

Age range

18 Years – 35 Years

Sex

ALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult aged 18-35 years old. Exclusion Criteria: * Current or past psychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders * Physical illness * Medication use (except hormonal contraception) * Alcohol consumption exceeding Health Canada guidelines (\>10 drinks/week for women, \>15 for men) * Smoking more than 7 cigarettes/day.

Questions worth asking your doctor

Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.

1This study is already completed and involved healthy young adults — is there any published data or findings from it that might be relevant to understanding how stress hormones like cortisol could affect my own decision-making or health?
2Since this trial used the Iowa Gambling Task to measure risky versus safe decision-making, could elevated cortisol levels from my own stress or medical condition realistically be influencing the kinds of decisions I'm making about my treatment?
3This was a study on healthy young adults rather than people with a specific illness — does that mean the findings may not directly apply to my situation, and are there other studies more relevant to my health condition that I should know about?
4Given that this trial has already been completed, would it be worth asking the research team or checking clinical trial registries for the published results, and could those results change anything about how you approach my care?

Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.

Questions for the trial coordinator

The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.

1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?

A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.

What they're measuring

Decision-making as assessed by the Iowa Gambling Task (probability of drawing from the risky decks vs safe decks)

Timeframe: Immediately after completing the experimental condition (Stress or control condition)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07702747

SponsorMarie-France Marin

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2024-11-07

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Healthy Young Adults trials