Writing About Experiences and Health in Older Adults II

Social Psychology Clinical Trial

Official title:

Writing About Experiences and Health in Older Adults II

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05524597
• Other study ID #: R01AG071498
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: March 13, 2023
• Est. completion date: March 2026

Study information

• Verified date: May 2024
• Source: University of California, Los Angeles
• Contact: Naomi Eisenberger, Ph.D.
• Phone: 3108494330
• Email: neisenbe[@]ucla.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

UCLA researchers looking for healthy older adults (aged 65+) to participate in a study investigating how writing about experiences can affect your brain and body.

Once a week for 6 weeks, participants will write about their experiences and fill out online questionnaires. Participants will also come to the UCLA campus to complete a neuroimaging session (fMRI), provide a blood spot sample, and fill out questionnaires 2 times: once prior to the 6-week writing period and once immediately after the 6-week writing period.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 200
• Est. completion date: March 2026
• Est. primary completion date: March 2026
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 65 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adults age 65 years and older

Exclusion Criteria:

1. current smokers

2. active, uncontrolled medical disorders

3. chronic infection (e.g., Hepatitis C, HIV)

4. use of certain medications (steroid use, opioid use)

5. psychiatric disorders (e.g., current major depression, bipolar disorder)

6. body mass index (BMI) greater than 35

7. left-handed

8. claustrophobic

9. metal in body

Other exclusion criteria may apply.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Social Psychology

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Writing Intervention
Participants will be asked to write about different kinds of experiences.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Center for Cognitive Neuroscience	Los Angeles	California

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of California, Los Angeles

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Psychological Distress	Composite measure of depression, anxiety, stress (Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger Trait Anxiety, and Perceived Stress Scale)	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks
Primary	Change in Social Support	measure of perceived social support (Social Provisions Scale)	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks
Primary	Change in Social Participation	measure of participation in social activities (Lifestyle Activities Questionnaire)	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks
Primary	Change in Inflammatory Gene Expression	changes in proinflammatory gene expression	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks
Primary	Change in Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) Activity in response to stress	Parameter estimates from dACC region-of-interest	Baseline, 6 weeks
Primary	Change in Anterior Insula Activity in response to stress	Parameter estimates from bilateral anterior insula region-of-interest	Baseline, 6 weeks
Primary	Change in Amygdala Activity in response to threat	Parameter estimates from bilateral amygdala region-of-interest	Baseline, 6 weeks
Primary	Change in Ventral Striatum Activity in response to prosocial behavior	Parameter estimates from bilateral ventral striatum region-of-interest	Baseline, 6 weeks
Primary	Change in Septal Area Activity in response to prosocial behavior	Parameter estimates from septal area region-of-interest	Baseline, 6 weeks
Secondary	Change in Memory	changes in recall ability (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test)	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks
Secondary	Change in Beliefs about Aging	changes in cognitive, affective, and social beliefs about aging (Expectations Regarding Aging survey)	Baseline, 6 weeks, 10 weeks