Cognitive Control & the Functional Organization of the Frontal Cortex

Part of paid clinical trials in Providence, Rhode Island.

Sponsor
Brown University
Study ID
NCT06436209
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Executive Function
  • Healthy Volunteers
  • Multitasking Behavior and Neural Representations Associated With Multitasking Ability

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 35 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Multitask Practice Intervention (MPI) — BEHAVIORAL
    Multitask practice intervention (MPI) includes multiple behavioral testing sessions during which participants receive practice with multitasking two tasks using the psychological refractory period procedure.
  • Single-task Practice Intervention (SPI) — BEHAVIORAL
    Single task practice intervention (SPI) includes multiple behavioral testing sessions during which participants receive separate practice on two tasks.

Study Details

The goal of this basic experimental clinical trial is to understand the effect of multitasking practice on the structure of neural representations of tasks in the human lateral prefrontal cortex and control brain regions. The main question it aims to answer is: What changes in neural representational structure predict improvements in multitasking behavior due to multitasking practice? Healthy human participants will learn two independent tasks, each mapping a set of stimuli to motor responses based on different rules. Participants will be randomized to one of two interventions. Participants assigned to the multitask practice intervention (MPI) will practice multitasking the two tasks over multiple days. Those assigned to the single-task practice intervention (SPI) will instead practice each task separately while controlling for the total number of practice opportunities associated with each task across the interventions. Both before and after the practice, the ability of all participants to perform both tasks simultaneously will be behaviorally measured using a well-established psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm, and their neural representations will be measured using functional MRI while they perform the two tasks. Researchers will then compare improvements in multitasking behavior across the two groups, as well as changes in neural representational geometry of the tasks in the lateral prefrontal cortex and control brain regions, and test whether multitasking training is associated with specific changes in neural representations in the lateral prefrontal cortex.

Key Dates

Start date
Mar 27, 2024
Status verified
May 2025
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2026
Completion
Jul 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: Multitask Practice
  • Active Comparator: Single Task Practice

Primary Outcome Measure

Effect of the practice intervention on change in overall and task-relevant neural separability in lateral prefrontal cortex [ Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1.5 years ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Metcalf Research Building, Brown University & MRI Research Facility, Brown UniversityProvidenceRhode Island02912
Defne Buyukyazgan, BA
David Badre, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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By research site
Metcalf Research Building, Brown University & MRI Research Facility, Brown University· Providence, RI

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