Social BehaviorNCT03894930
Metta Meditation Training on Prosocial Behavior
A study testing Metta meditation in people with Social Behavior, run by Georgetown University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of the study is to look at the impact of a metta meditation training on prosocial behavior and socio-affective brain responses. The training involves an 8-week, online administration of guided metta meditation practices aimed at generating feelings of kindness and compassion for other people. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 55 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Metta meditation
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 67 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 25 Sep 2018to 14 May 2021
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 55 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Is a medically healthy individual
- Lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area and is able to travel to Georgetown University
Who cannot join
- Has experience with meditation
- Has any MRI contraindication (e.g. metal in the body, cardiac pacemaker, cannot lie still, etc.)
- Has any neurological disease
- Has a current psychiatric disorder
- Is pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- Is on medication that affects the central nervous system (e.g. psychotropic drugs)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Georgetown University
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20007
About this study
Official title: Identifying Neural Correlates of Altruism
The purpose of the study is to look at the impact of a metta meditation training on prosocial behavior and socio-affective brain responses. The training involves an 8-week, online administration of guided metta meditation practices aimed at generating feelings of kindness and compassion for other people. The study examines how participants respond to thinking about familiar others and strangers using behavioral and brain-imaging measures. This study will be important for understanding how people develop the capacity to be prosocial towards other individuals, which is a key component of adaptive social behavior.
- Conditions
- Social Behavior
- Being tested
- Metta meditation
- Keywords
- healthy subjects, prosocial, metta meditation, fMRI
- Medical subject headings
- Social Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Metta meditationBehavioural
Also called Loving-kindness meditation
Administered 5 days per week for 8 weeks.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Metta meditation | Experimental | Eight-week, guided metta meditation training that is administered online Receives: Behavioral: Metta meditation |
| Wait-list | No intervention | Eight-week wait-list control with no training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Social Discounting
During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, participants will complete a social discounting task. Participants will choose whether to forgo various amounts of money to give to another person. Behavioral and brain responses will be analyzed to assess social discounting in each participant.
Measured: 8 weeks
Affective Brain Responses to Familiar and Unfamiliar Others
During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, participants will view images of people who they know and people who they do not know. Affective brain response patterns will be analyzed to assess responding in each participant.
Measured: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
State Affect Rating
Participants will complete the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) questionnaire. This self-report scale includes 20 items that are rated on a 5-point scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). Positive and negative self-reported affect will be quantified for each participant.
Measured: 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Mar 2019
- Study start25 Sep 2018
- Primary completion14 May 2021
- Study completion14 May 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social BehaviorStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 67 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Georgetown University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Abigail A Marsh, PhD, Principal investigator, Georgetown University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03894930
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2010-180
- Other IDs
- BCS-1729406
- Status last verified
- Jul 2020
- First submitted
- 27 Mar 2019
- Last updated
- 16 Jun 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Jun 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Identifying Neural Correlates of Altruism
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03894930
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2010-180
- Conditions
- Social Behavior
- Keywords
- healthy subjects, prosocial, metta meditation, fMRI
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 67 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Georgetown UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 25 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 May 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 14 May 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 Mar 2019 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of the study is to look at the impact of a metta meditation training on prosocial behavior and socio-affective brain responses. The training involves an 8-week, online administration of guided metta meditation practices aimed at generating feelings of kindness and compassion for other people. The study examines how participants respond to thinking about familiar others and strangers using behavioral and brain-imaging measures. This study will be important for understanding how people develop the capacity to be prosocial towards other individuals, which is a key component of adaptive social behavior.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Metta meditation | Experimental | Behavioral: Metta meditationEight-week, guided metta meditation training that is administered online |
| Wait-list | No intervention | –Eight-week wait-list control with no training |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Is a medically healthy individual
- Lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area and is able to travel to Georgetown University
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Has experience with meditation
- Has any MRI contraindication (e.g. metal in the body, cardiac pacemaker, cannot lie still, etc.)
- Has any neurological disease
- Has a current psychiatric disorder
- Is pregnant or planning to become pregnant
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Metta meditationAlso: Loving-kindness meditationAdministered 5 days per week for 8 weeks. | Behavioural | Metta meditation |
Primary outcome
Social Discounting
Time frame: 8 weeks
During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, participants will complete a social discounting task. Participants will choose whether to forgo various amounts of money to give to another person. Behavioral and brain responses will be analyzed to assess social discounting in each participant.
Affective Brain Responses to Familiar and Unfamiliar Others
Time frame: 8 weeks
During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, participants will view images of people who they know and people who they do not know. Affective brain response patterns will be analyzed to assess responding in each participant.
1 secondary outcome
State Affect Rating
Time frame: 8 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Jun 2021.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Abigail A Marsh, PhD principal investigator
Georgetown University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Metta meditation in people with Social Behavior, run by Georgetown University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Jun 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Social Discounting (time frame: 8 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Jun 2021.