The Computational and Neural Mechanisms Linking Decision-making and Memory in Humans

NCT06072378 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: Pro2024002100K99MH132873
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Learning to make good decisions in the present, and accurately recalling events and information from the past, are critical aspects of human cognition that are often impaired in many psychiatric disorders. This project aims to identify the how the choices individuals make influence what, and how, people remember by combining disparate techniques in computational modeling and direct brain recordings in human subjects. The researcher developed a dual-task paradigm, probing how decisions in one task affect immediate recognition memory. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying model-free RL's influence on memory, the researcher will record local field potential (LFP) and single neuron activity in various brain regions as epilepsy patients perform the proposed task. The results of this project will identify specific neurocomputational mechanisms unifying decision-making and memory processes.

Conditions

Memory, Short-Term

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Local-field potentials changes

  Detection of local-field potentials (LFPs) in the various regions (hippocampus, amygdala, and frontal cortex). Local field potentials are the biological voltages recorded by macroelectrodes implanted in participant's subcortical regions as part of their treatment for epilepsy. LFP changes (measured as increases or decreases in voltage) as a function of participant behavior will be recorded, and in response to the task manipulation of the value of choices during the decision-making task

  During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

• Firing rate changes

  Single-neuron activity recorded from the hippocampus, amygdala, and frontal cortex. Single-neuron activity refers the micro-scale changes in single-neuron action potentials recorded by microelectrodes implanted in subcortical regions. Firing rate changes (measured as difference in spikes/seconds \[Hz\]) will be reported for neurons as a function of how behavior changes when the value of choices is altered.

  During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Reaction time

  During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

• Number of hit rates for decision-making

  During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

• Number of hit rates for Memory performance

  During task participation, approx. 30-45 min in the first 2 weeks of hospital stay

Study Arms (1)

Value-manipulation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants with epilepsy will complete a behavioral task in which they use a laptop computer to do a decision-making and memory task.

Behavioral: Value-manipulation

Interventions

Value-manipulation BEHAVIORAL

During the decision-making task, different choices are assigned different values probabilistically.

Value-manipulation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Has seizure activity which is deemed non-responsive to standard pharmacological intervention(s), as determined by treating Neurologist and established clinical practices
• Has elected to receive clinically indicated intracranial EEG (electrocorticography (ECoG), stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)) and/or temporal responsive neurostimulation (RNS) for medication-refractory epilepsy outside of this research study, as determined by treating clinician(s) and per current clinical practice
• Capacity to provide written informed consent
• Language proficiency in English or Spanish
• Willing and able to comply with all study-related procedures

You may not qualify if:

• History of psychosis, such as in the context of depressive or manic episode.
• Active suicidal ideation with intent, suicide attempt within the last six months, or other serious suicide risk
• Inability to provide informed consent or reliably participate in study assessments, as per the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA; score \< 26) or in the opinion of the evaluating neuropsychologist.
• Individuals unwilling or unable to undergo electrode implantation procedures
• Medical contraindications to neurosurgery or for general anesthesia, neurosurgery, or an MRI scan (required for electrode implantation)
• Neurological disorder other than epilepsy or other significant brain pathology, if contraindicated in the opinion of implanting neurosurgeon.
• Women who are pregnant

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: lead
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, United States

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Salman E Qasim, PhD

  Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Salman E Qasim, PhD

CONTACT

212-824-9531; salman.qasim@mssm.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 2, 2023
• First Posted: October 10, 2023
• Study Start: October 31, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028
• Last Updated: December 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: Within 12 months following article publication
• Access Criteria: The datasets will be hosted and available free of charge to approved researchers.

Locations

US (1)