Healthy VolunteersNCT05774847
Unconscious Processing in Decision-making
An observational study of Healthy Volunteers, run by Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA at 1 site in Italy.
Trial summary
This behavioral study on healthy participants aims to provide a baseline reference for assessing alterations of decision-making performance in pathological conditions. To this purpose, this single center non-interventional behavioral study will assess the extent to which decision-making performance is affected by… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Volunteers
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteItaly
- Study dates
- 24 May 2021to 31 Oct 2027
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 60 years
- All sexes
- Adult
Study population: 200 healty individuals, aged 18-60 years, sampled from the general population
Who may be able to join
- Healthy participants, as determined by screening assessments and principal investigator judgment
- The participant must be able to comply with study requirements as judged by the principal investigator
Who cannot join
- Any history of alcohol and/or drug abuse, addiction or suspicion of regular consumption of drugs of abuse
- Use of any psychoactive medication, or medications known to have effect on central nervous system
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Italy1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA
Pavia, Ita, 27100
Nicola Canessa, PhD, +390382375845, nicola.canessa@icsmaugeri.it
Tiziana Bachetti, +390382593210, tiziana.bachetti@icsmaugeri.it
About this study
Official title: Behavioral Evidence on the Modulators of Unconscious Processing in Decision-making
This behavioral study on healthy participants aims to provide a baseline reference for assessing alterations of decision-making performance in pathological conditions. To this purpose, this single center non-interventional behavioral study will assess the extent to which decision-making performance is affected by distinct experimental manipulations, as well as by ageing effects, in 200 healthy individuals. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- to what extent is decision-making performance stable, within individuals, regardless of non-economic manipulations concerning stimuli perceptual features as well as type of processing and motor response required to participants?
- are these manipulations additionally influenced by participants' age?
Healthy participants will be recruited for distinct behavioral studies assessing the effects of the aforementioned manipulations of distinct metrics of decision-making performance, such as loss aversion, risk aversion, and delay discounting.
Read the detailed description
The fast growth of so-called Decision Neuroscience has clearly shown the implications of methods and results from behavioral economics as a potential bridge for translational research in neuro-psychiatric settings. The combination of behavioral and neural metrics allows to describe decision-making across multiple levels of explanation ranging from biological dispositions to contextual influences. To date, however, the translational implications of Decision Neuroscience are constrained by a relatively limited knowledge of the potential modulators of decision-making, which seem to include perceptual, cognitive and motor variables. In this regard, there is largely sparse evidence concerning the modulation of choices by highly different factors such as a) perceptual features of the stimuli (e.g., spatial distance between visually-presented potential gains and losses); b) type of processing required to participants (e.g., select vs. reject an option); c) type of motor response required to communicate the decision (e.g., press vs. release a button); d) subliminal vs. supraliminal perception of the stimuli. Moreover, there is evidence of ageing effects on decision-making, particularly when choice-related evaluations involve a trade-off between reward and risk. On this ground, this single center non-interventional behavioral study aims to investigate whether, and how, distinct well-established metrics of decision-making are influenced by the aforementioned factors. To this purpose, 200 healthy individuals will be recruited and assigned to different behavioral studies aimed to assess the effect of the aforementioned manipulations on well-established gambling tasks resulting in individual metrics of loss aversion (the tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains), risk aversion (the preference for certain outcomes over probabilistic ones), and delay discounting (the decline in the present value of a reward with delay to its receipt). The results of this study are expected to provide a baseline reference for assessing alterations of decision-making performance in pathological conditions.
- Conditions
- Healthy Volunteers
- Being tested
- No intervention
- Keywords
- decision-making, unconscious processing, subliminal processing
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
No interventionOther
No intervention
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| All healthy participants | Healthy participants will be recruited and assigned to different behavioral studies assessing the effect of the experimental manipulations of interest on decision-making metrics. Receives: Other: No intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Individual index of loss aversion
This variable reflect the spontaneous disposition to overweigh potential losses, compared with equivalent gains in decision-making, resulting in the tendency to avoid potential losses more than approach potential gains.
Measured: Behavioral-study day 1
Secondary outcomes (2)
Individual index of risk aversion
This variable reflect the spontaneous preference for certain, compared with probabilistic, outcomes, resulting in the tendency to avoid risky options regardless of their expected value.
Measured: Behavioral-study day 1
Individual index of delay discounting
This variable reflects the tendency to discount delayed utilities/rewards compared with immediate ones, resulting in choices driven by the impulsive search for immediate gains regardless of potential larger future outcomes.
Measured: Behavioral-study day 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Mar 2023
- Study start24 May 2021
- Primary completion30 Apr 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Oct 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy VolunteersStudies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori Pavia
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05774847
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2138
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Mar 2023
- Last updated
- 8 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: Requests for sharing will assessed case by case, and data will be made available on reasonable request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Behavioral Evidence on the Modulators of Unconscious Processing in Decision-making
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05774847
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2138
- Conditions
- Healthy Volunteers
- Keywords
- decision-making, unconscious processing, subliminal processing
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpAUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori Pavia
- Study start
- 24 May 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Apr 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Oct 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 Mar 2023 (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.
This behavioral study on healthy participants aims to provide a baseline reference for assessing alterations of decision-making performance in pathological conditions. To this purpose, this single center non-interventional behavioral study will assess the extent to which decision-making performance is affected by distinct experimental manipulations, as well as by ageing effects, in 200 healthy individuals. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- to what extent is decision-making performance stable, within individuals, regardless of non-economic manipulations concerning stimuli perceptual features as well as type of processing and motor response required to participants?
- are these manipulations additionally influenced by participants' age?
Healthy participants will be recruited for distinct behavioral studies assessing the effects of the aforementioned manipulations of distinct metrics of decision-making performance, such as loss aversion, risk aversion, and delay discounting.
Detailed description
The fast growth of so-called Decision Neuroscience has clearly shown the implications of methods and results from behavioral economics as a potential bridge for translational research in neuro-psychiatric settings. The combination of behavioral and neural metrics allows to describe decision-making across multiple levels of explanation ranging from biological dispositions to contextual influences. To date, however, the translational implications of Decision Neuroscience are constrained by a relatively limited knowledge of the potential modulators of decision-making, which seem to include perceptual, cognitive and motor variables. In this regard, there is largely sparse evidence concerning the modulation of choices by highly different factors such as a) perceptual features of the stimuli (e.g., spatial distance between visually-presented potential gains and losses); b) type of processing required to participants (e.g., select vs. reject an option); c) type of motor response required to communicate the decision (e.g., press vs. release a button); d) subliminal vs. supraliminal perception of the stimuli. Moreover, there is evidence of ageing effects on decision-making, particularly when choice-related evaluations involve a trade-off between reward and risk. On this ground, this single center non-interventional behavioral study aims to investigate whether, and how, distinct well-established metrics of decision-making are influenced by the aforementioned factors. To this purpose, 200 healthy individuals will be recruited and assigned to different behavioral studies aimed to assess the effect of the aforementioned manipulations on well-established gambling tasks resulting in individual metrics of loss aversion (the tendency to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains), risk aversion (the preference for certain outcomes over probabilistic ones), and delay discounting (the decline in the present value of a reward with delay to its receipt). The results of this study are expected to provide a baseline reference for assessing alterations of decision-making performance in pathological conditions.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| All healthy participants | – | Other: No interventionHealthy participants will be recruited and assigned to different behavioral studies assessing the effect of the experimental manipulations of interest on decision-making metrics. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Age groups
- Adult
- Study population
- 200 healty individuals, aged 18-60 years, sampled from the general population
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Healthy participants, as determined by screening assessments and principal investigator judgment
- The participant must be able to comply with study requirements as judged by the principal investigator
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Any history of alcohol and/or drug abuse, addiction or suspicion of regular consumption of drugs of abuse
- Use of any psychoactive medication, or medications known to have effect on central nervous system
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 |
|---|---|---|
| No interventionNo intervention | Other | All healthy participants |
Primary outcome
Individual index of loss aversion
Time frame: Behavioral-study day 1
This variable reflect the spontaneous disposition to overweigh potential losses, compared with equivalent gains in decision-making, resulting in the tendency to avoid potential losses more than approach potential gains.
2 secondary outcomes
Individual index of risk aversion
Time frame: Behavioral-study day 1
Individual index of delay discounting
Time frame: Behavioral-study day 1
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. Requests for sharing will assessed case by case, and data will be made available on reasonable request.
Related trials for Healthy Volunteers
Not yet recruitingPhase 1
Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Human Subarachnoid Space Using Intrathecal Gadolinium Contrast
Healthy Volunteers
RecruitingObservational study
Survey to Determine Incarcerated Persons' Views on Surrogate Decision Making
Healthy Volunteers
Active, not recruitingPhase 1
A Study to Learn How Different Amounts of the Study Medicine Called PF-07985631 Are Tolerated and Act in the Body of Healthy Adults
Healthy
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Collection and Distribution of Blood Components From Healthy Donors for In Vitro Research Use
Blood Donors, Apheresis
RecruitingEarly Phase 1
Study Brain Mechanisms of Frustration With Magnetoencephalography in Healthy Volunteers
Irritability
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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Healthy Volunteers, run by Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA at 1 site in Italy.
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 2 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 May 2026. 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 Italy. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Individual index of loss aversion (time frame: Behavioral-study day 1). 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 8 May 2026.