Neural Mechanisms of Interpersonal Expectations on Negative Affect
Who can join
Ages 18 to 55 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 'Doctors' are recruited from medical students at the Geisel School of Medicine and resident physicians at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Exclusion Criteria: * No self-reported current or history of depression, bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric diagnosis * No self-reported current seizure disorder (i.e., seizure within past 10 years), or history of stroke or other major neurological diagnosis that can cause cognitive impairment * No self-reported current chronic pain, or acute pain within three months of the study period * No current migraine disorder (i.e., 15 headache days or more in 1 month) * No use of central nervous system-effective medication or other medication for neurological/psychiatric treatment * No self-reported substance abuse within the last six months * No contraindication to MRI or tTIS (e.g., pregnancy, claustrophobia, pacemakers, ear/cochlear implants, shrapnel injuries, clips, or other ferromagnetic/electrical objects/devices, diagnosed brain abnormality such as tumor, or skin lesions on the scalp.) * No contraindications for induced pain (e.g., no heart disease, high blood pressure, heart surgery, heart problems of any kind, severe asthma, respiratory problems of any kind, fibromyalgia, Raynaud's Syndrome or Disease, chronic pain, diabetes) * Participants must be capable of performing experimental tasks (e.g., are able to read), are fluent or native speakers of English * Participants must be able to tolerate the maximum level of thermal pain stimuli (for thermal stimuli)
About the study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether non-invasive brain stimulation, called transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS), can reduce negative affect, and how expectations shaped by care providers influence these effects.
The main questions this study aims to answer are: (1)Does active tTIS reduce negative affect more effectively than sham (inactive) tTIS? (2)Do positive treatment expectations enhance the effects compared to negative expectations?
Participants will: (1) Receive either active or sham tTIS. (2) Be provided with positive or negative messaging regarding treatment effectiveness. (3) Interact with care providers and complete assessments measuring negative affect and physiological responses.
What is being tested
- Session A: Positive Placebo + Active tTIS (behavioral)
- Session B: Positive Placebo + Sham tTIS (behavioral)
- Session C: Negative Placebo + Active tTIS (behavioral)
- Session D: Negative Placebo + Sham tTIS (behavioral)
- Session E: On-Placebo + Sham tTIS (behavioral)
- Session F: Off-Placebo + Sham tTIS (behavioral)
Sponsor: Trustees of Dartmouth College · Participants: 196 · Started: Sep 1, 2025
Contact the study team
- Zhaoxing Wei, Ph.D. · Phone: 6033220577
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06980090
Locations in the U.S.
| New Hampshire | Dartmouth College, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Hanover |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.