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The aim of this study is to determine the effects of regular cannabidiol (CBD) use on the psychobiological mechanisms of the stress response. This will be achieved by comparing acute stress responses of adults who either use or do not use CBD regularly. Correlates of CBD use, including tobacco use, will be collected.
Explore the associations of prenatal maternal anxiety to placental histologic findings, and the pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory cells found in the placenta and determine the effect of maternal anxiety on the association between placental molecular changes on pregnancy and birth and infant outcomes.
This study will identify the sex-dependent impact of expiratory-gated transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on the modulation of the stress response circuitry and associated physiology in major depressive disorder (MDD). We will evaluate a sample of 80 adults with recurrent MDD randomized to receive active or sham expiratory-gated tVNS during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session, with simultaneous mood and physiological assessments. We hypothesize that expiratory-gated tVNS will effectively modulate, in a sex-dependent manner, specific brainstem-cortical pathways of the stress circuitry and attenuate physiological deficits in MDD.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of a moderately low blood sugar stress on the nervous system. The investigators hope that information obtained from completing this study will help to reveal information about how a non-psychological stress impacts the parts of the brain that react to stress and the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that provides the body with involuntary or automatic control of heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
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.
The purpose of this prospective single-center, blinded\*, randomized, proof-of-concept study is to determine whether OnabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX®) injections will change the level of stress perceived by generally healthy adult female participants. It is hypothesized that BOTOX® injections will be associated with decreases in perceived stress levels, measured by scores on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire. The primary outcome measure is a chronological decrease in PSS scores between any two points of the study period. Comparison of the placebo- and BOTOX®-treated participant scores will either support or disprove the study hypothesis. Qualified participants who meet the study requirements, including a one-time completion of basic laboratory testing before treatment. The treatment visit starts on day-1 of a 12-week period, which consists a total of four clinic visits and one online visit, which involve: * vital signs and Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements * basic/interval history and physical * 2 Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires * injection of 64 units of either BOTOX® or sterile salt solution * stay for 60-minutes after treatment for monitoring and to complete study tasks
Traumatic injury followed by critical illness provokes pathophysiologic changes in the bone marrow and the gut that contribute to persistent anemia and changes in the microbiome which significantly impact long-term recovery. This project will define the interactions between the stress, chronic inflammation, bone marrow dysfunction, and an altered microbiome which will provide a strong foundation for future clinical interventions to help improve outcomes following severe trauma.
Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer of the adrenal glands. ACC often returns after tumors are removed with surgery. Less than 35% of people with ACC survive 5 years after diagnosis. Objective: To test a new type of external beam RT before surgery in people with ACC. Eligibility: People aged 18 years and older with ACC that came back after treatment but may be safely removed with surgery. Design: Participants will be screened. They will have a physical exam with blood and urine tests. They will have tests of their heart function. They will have imaging scans. A small sample of tumor tissue may be collected if one is not available. They will undergo laparoscopy: Small incisions will be made in the abdomen so that a thin tube with a light and camera can be inserted to view the organs. RT comes from a machine that aims radiation at tumors. Participants will receive preoperative RT in daily fractions over approximately 2-3 weeks, followed by a planned surgical resection about 4 weeks after the completion of RT. Visits will last 30 to 60 minutes. Participants will undergo surgery to remove their tumors about 4 weeks after they finish RT. They will stay in the hospital 1 to 3 weeks after surgery. Participants will have follow-up visits for 10 years after surgery.
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of ketamine on decision-making and emotion processing in a sample of individuals diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Background: \- Studies show that many factors affect children's eating behavior and health. These include sleep, mood, thinking skills, and genetics. Studying children over time may identify children at higher risk for eating-related health concerns. Objective: \- To understand how genes and environment influence eating behavior and health over time. Eligibility: \- Children ages 8-17 in good general health. Design: * Screening visit 1: Medical history, physical exam, body measurements, and questions. * 14 days: Participants will wear a wrist monitor and answer smartphone prompts about eating and mood. They may give a stool sample. * Screening visit 2: * Body measurements. * Saliva, urine, and blood samples. * Heart tests. * Meals provided (after fasting overnight). * Questionnaires and interview. * Behavior, thinking, and exercise tests. * X-ray of left wrist and full body.\<TAB\> * Some parents may have medical history, physical exam, and questions at screening visits. They may answer questions at the yearly visits. * Participants will have up to 6 yearly visits. They will give a urine sample and body measurements, and repeat the X-rays. They will have questions and behavior and thinking tasks. They may give stool samples. Visits will range from 3 to 8 hours. * Participants may choose to participate in other studies: * Stress and Hormones, 1 visit: While resting, participants will give saliva samples and have their heart monitored. Then they will do math. They will repeat the resting part, then do a computer task. * Brain Imaging, 2 visits: Twice, participants will perform tasks with a magnetic cone on their head then answer questions. Once, they will have an MRI, lying still in a scanner with a coil on their head. Before the first visit, participants will collect at-home saliva samples once a day for three days. During both visits, participants will perform tasks and answer questions that gauge their thinking skills and mood. * Experiment 3 (sleep/fatigue): Participants will complete 2 additional visits. During these visits, participants will complete a task on the computer for 2 hours, or watch a movie for two hours. After completion of the task/movie, they will answer questions and be provided with food. Participants will be compensated for the time and inconvenience involved with completing study procedures. ...