Neural Correlates of Observation of Tactile Stimulation in Healthy Subjects
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00091533. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
This study will examine activity in the brain during the observation of touch. Studies with animals have shown that mirror neurons, or nerve cells, are active during the observation and performance of an action. The researchers for this study hypothesize that a similar system pertains to observing and experiencing touch. Patients ages 18 to 75 years old who are in good health, are right handed, and who are able to perform simple tasks that require attention may be eligible for this study. Pregnant women are not eligible. Patients who have not had a health screening at NIH will undergo a clinical and neurological exam. Women of childbearing potential will also have a pregnancy test. The screening will take about 2 to 3 hours. A diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be performed if patients have not undergone one in the previous 12 months. During the procedure, patients will lie still on a table that will slide into the enclosed tunnel of the scanner. They will be asked to lie as still as possible for up to a few minutes at a time. As the scanner takes pictures, patients will hear knocking or beeping sounds, and they will wear earplugs to reduce the noise. Patients will be able to communicate with the MRI staff at all times during the scan, and they may ask to be moved out of the machine at any time. This scan will take about 2 hours. Two sessions are involved in the study. The first one is intended to familiarize patients with the procedure. During it, they will learn about hand stimulus, through watching a video showing the index finger of a hand being touched by a stick repeatedly. Then the activity will be repeated, but this time, a researcher will also touch the patient's index finger while he or she is watching the video. This session will take about 1 hour. The second session consists of a functional MRI scan, or fMRI. During it, pictures of the brain will be taken while patients perform tasks. All tasks will be explained in advance, and patients will have an opportunity to practice them before entering the scanner. The fMRI scan will take 1 to 2 hours. The researchers will discuss the results of the tests with the participants. There is not a direct benefit to those who take part in the study. However, it is hoped that resulting information will enhance researchers' understanding about how the brain processes observed information.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00091533
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Observational
- Phase
- Not listed
- Enrollment
- 30 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
Not listed
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 75 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Sep 3, 2004 (Type not available)
- Primary completion
- Not listed
- Completion
- Sep 2, 2008 (Type not available)
- Last update posted
- Jul 2, 2017
2004 – 2008
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike | Bethesda | Maryland | 20892 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00091533, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jul 2, 2017 · Synced Oct 24, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete public registry record, listed eligibility criteria, and available contact information for NCT00091533 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.