Role of the Brain in Making Economic Decisions
Completed
Conditions studied: Healthy
In brief
This study will identify which areas of the brain mediate the interaction between people involved in economic decision-making. Healthy, right-handed native English speakers between 21 and 55 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a telephone interview, a questionnaire to determine handedness, and a neurological examination if one has not been performed within the last year by an NIH physician. Participants bargain for money by playing two-person trust games, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. The MRI scanner is a metal cylinder surrounded by a strong magnetic field. During the procedure, the subject lies on a stable that can slide in and out of the scanner, wearing earplugs to muffle loud knocking sounds that occur with electrical switching of the magnetic fields. Functional MRI involves taking MRI scans while the subject performs a task-this to learn about how the brain regions are involved in performing the task. For this test, the subject plays or watches two-person games involving trust. The game may be played against a stranger or a friend. The winner receives a cash payoff. The subject performs one of the following two tasks during MRI scanning: * Playing the trust games and indicating as quickly as possible by pressing a right or left button whether he or she wants to stop or continue playing, or * Observing games that others have played and predicting as quickly as possible by pressing a right or left button whether the players wanted to stop or continue the games. The test takes about 90 minutes. After the scan, participants complete written questionnaires about their experience in the scanner and their views on issues related to participating in competitive games. ...
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00083317
- Run by
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- People needed
- 127
- Starts
- 2004-05-15
- Expected to finish
- 2012-01-04
- Last updated by the study team
- 2017-07-02
Who can join
Age: 21 and older, up to 55. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- Non-native English speakers and non-right handers will be excluded as mentioned above, as will non-neurologically normal volunteers. Subjects younger than 21 and older than 55 will be excluded. A urine pregnancy test will be employed with all women of childbearing age. The results must be negative in order to proceed with the MRI.
- Participants with any of the following: aneurysm clip; implanted neural stimulator; implanted cardiac pacemaker or auto-defibrillator; cochlear implant; ocular foreign body, e.g. metal shavings; permanent eyeliner; insulin pump; or irremovable body piercing will be excluded from the study due to the possible dangerous effects of the magnet upon metal objects in the body. Participants taking central nervous system active medications will be excluded.
Where it is running
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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