Disrupted Connections: The Impact of Acute Stress on Memory Integration

NCT07055555 | Active Not Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 2501-03925P20GM103440
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to better understand how stress impacts people's ability to learn across their experiences and link new information to what they already know. The investigators will compare performance on a memory task between stressed and non-stressed participants. This memory task requires people to integrate knowledge across learning experiences (think: having to "connect the dots", draw inferences, and generalize your knowledge to new situations and scenarios). Cortisol, the brain's primary stress hormone, will be measured at multiple points throughout the study to measure stress levels. The investigators hypothesize that:

1. 1.Stress will disrupt performance on the memory task by interfering with memory processes that enable linking of related memories.
2. 2.Higher cortisol levels, which reflect a greater stress response, will relate to greater deficits in memory performance across participants.

Conditions

Stress; Control Condition

Keywords

acute stress; memory; memory integration; cognitive maps

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Performance on A-C inference trials in the Paired Associative Inference Task

  Performance on A-C inference trials of the memory task assesses memory integration across overlapping learning experiences.

  During the participant's study visit, anticipated 1-2 hours

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Performance on directly learned pairs (A-B and B-C) in the Paired Associative Inference Task

  During the participant's study visit, anticipated 1-2 hours

Study Arms (2)

Acute Stress Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomized to the acute stress condition will complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a validated experimental method for inducing acute psychosocial stress. This condition will allow for us to evaluate our primary hypothesis.

Behavioral: Acute Stress

Non-Stress Control Condition

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants randomized to the non-stress control condition will complete a non-stressful task designed to parallel the structure of the Trier Social Stress Test without eliciting acute stress.

Behavioral: Non-Stress Control Task

Interventions

Acute Stress BEHAVIORAL

Participants randomized to the acute stress condition will complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a validated experimental method for inducing acute psychosocial stress. The TSST consists of a brief anticipation period followed by a 5-minute mock job interview and a 5-minute surprise mental arithmetic task, performed in front of a neutral panel of judges in professional attire.

Also known as: Trier Social Stress Test

Acute Stress Condition

Non-Stress Control Task BEHAVIORAL

Participants randomized to the control condition will complete a non-stressful task designed to parallel the structure of the Trier Social Stress Test without eliciting acute stress. They will have a brief anticipation period followed by a 5-minute description of their typical day or favorite hobby. This task is conducted without an evaluative panel, minimizing the potential for stress or anxiety.

Non-Stress Control Condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• healthy adults
• aged 18-35 years
• speak fluent English
• have normal or corrected-to-normal vision

You may not qualify if:

• individuals who are pregnant
• exercise within 1 hour of the study session
• smoking within 1 hour of the study session
• consuming drugs or alcohol within 1 hour of the study session

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Nevada State University: lead
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS): collaborator
• University of Nevada, Reno: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Nevada State University

Henderson, Nevada, 89002-9776, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Psychological Tests

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Disciplines and Activities

Study Officials

• Corey A Fernandez, PhD, Neuroscience

  Nevada State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2025
• First Posted: July 9, 2025
• Study Start: July 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027
• Last Updated: August 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)