The Role of Expectancy for Cognitive Enhancement in College Students Using Prescription Stimulants Nonmedically

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Trial end date: 2027-12-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

We propose to evaluate the interaction between expectations of receiving stimulants, neurophysiological activity and enhancement of cognitive performance using fMRI.

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Treatments: Adderall

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-30 years old

• enrolled as a student at UAB or local college/university

• if female, willing to use adequate birth control or abstain from sexual activity

Exclusion Criteria:

• current or prior head injury

• current or prior psychiatric diagnosis (including ADHD)

• neurological disorder or stroke, hypertension, history of blood or circulation disorders (e.g., anemia or sickle-cell), diabetes, brain or spinal abnormalities

• blood pressure more than 130 systolic and 80 diastolic

• heart rate more than 100 beats per minute

• pregnancy

• current illicit substance use as well as nicotine use

• Alcohol or cannabis use that meets DSM-5 criteria for an alcohol or cannabis use disorder

• Inability to abstain from alcohol or cannabis the night before and day of the scanning session

• Inability to reduce caffeine intake to less than 100 mg on testing days in heavy caffeine users

• claustrophobia

• hearing impairment

• vision impairment that cannot be corrected by MRI-compatible lenses