Effects of Caffeine on Reinforcement Learning in Healthy Adults Using PET/MRI

Part of paid clinical trials in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Sponsor
Hsiao-Ying Wey
Study ID
NCT06763172
Phase
PHASE4
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Adenosine
  • Caffeine
  • Dopamine D2/3 Receptor Availability
  • Healthy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 45 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Caffeine (200 mg) — DRUG
    Caffeine (200mg) will be administered per os 20 minutes prior to the PET/fMRI data acquisition.
  • Placebo — DRUG
    Lactose tablet will be administered per os 20 minutes prior to the PET/fMRI data acquisition.

Study Details

This research study aims to determine whether and how caffeine intake affects learning process through reward feedback compared to placebo. The data acquired from this study would improve our understanding on the consequence and mechanism of caffeine intake in the aspect of learning process. Participants will perform a reinforcement learning task (i.e. Probabilistic Selection Task) and a motor inhibition task (i.e. Go/NoGo task) in a brain scan. The scan will be done with the Siemens Biograph mMR positron emission tomography (PET)/ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3 Tesla scanner. The PET allows us to see the changes in the "reward signals" - dopamine - in the brain using a radioactive dye called \[11C\]Raclopride. The MRI, on the other hand, enables us to take detailed pictures of the brain activities during cognitive tasks using a high-powered magnet. Reviewing these pictures will help us understand the influence of caffeine on reward signals and brain activities during the learning process.

Key Dates

Start date
May 17, 2023
Status verified
Jan 2025
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026
Completion
Dec 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
12 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: Caffeine
    Caffeine tablet, 200mg
  • Placebo Comparator: Placebo
    Lactose tablet

Primary Outcome Measure

Dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability [ Time Frame: During the PET/fMRI scan on the study day ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical ImagingCharlestownMassachusetts02129
Hsiao-Ying Wey, PhD
[email protected]
617-724-1384
[email protected]
Hsiao-Ying Wey, PhD
Yu-Shiuan Lin, PhD

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Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging· Charlestown, MA

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