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Cerebrovascular Health and Resilience in Midlife

Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh • ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06029348

Registry updated: 2026-09-16

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Description

This study examines cardiovascular responses to a brief psychological challenge under laboratory conditions among adult volunteers. The study volunteers are asked to complete two study sessions. In one session, the volunteers are asked to provide demographic and health-related information via questionnaires and an interview. In that session, volunteers would then be asked to undergo evaluations of their body composition, blood pressure, heart rate, and other signs of cardiovascular function and health. Lastly, volunteers would be asked to take part in a brief and challenging psychological task after a period of rest while cardiovascular activity is measured. In the other session, volunteers are asked to undergo magnetic resonance imaging and to complete neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, and processing speed. In addition to these two sessions, volunteers are asked to complete online questionnaires. The study is designed to examine associations between transient changes in cardiovascular activity induced by the psychological task, measures of overall cardiovascular health, and measures of cerebrovascular health measured by magnetic resonance imaging. Study results are expected to provide new information about the relationships between cardiovascular activity changes to psychological challenges and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health in adults.

Interventions

Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (Behavioral)
Study volunteers will be asked to complete a 4-minute Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, which is a standardized task that is widely used to study cardiovascular responses to acute psychological challenges (or stressors) in a laboratory setting.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Able to attend 2 study visits at the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland (Pennsylvania) * Able to read and speak English Exclusion Criteria: * Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure \>160 or diastolic blood pressure \>100 mmHg) * Current use of anticonvulsant, anti-Parkinson, neuroleptic, or antipsychotic medications * Current use of glucocorticoids (e.g., oral prednisone) or ephedrine * Current chronic conditions of the lungs, liver and kidney, as well as cancer (chemotherapy and radiation) treatment in the past 12 months (allowances are made for non-melanoma skin cancer treatment, controlled asthma, and allergy inhalers) * Self-reported major neurological disorders or brain injuries (e.g., multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, major head injury) * Self-reported psychotic illnesses (mania, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) * Current pregnancy or childbirth within the past 6 months * Suspected mild cognitive impairment or dementia * Self reported sleep apnea * Self-reported history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or revascularization procedures, as well as treatment for cardiac arrhythmias * Self-reported lack of comfort to undergo MRI testing * Presence of implants or objects that are unsafe for MRI (e.g., tattooed eyeliner), as well as any other contraindications that would prevent MRI testing * Self-reported lack of comfort to undergo the laboratory math task

Conditions

Psychological Stress Cardiovascular Diseases Cerebrovascular Disorders

Locations

University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

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Official Source

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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