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Understanding How We Form Memories for Similar Experiences

This study aims to understand how our brains form distinct memories, especially when experiences are very similar, to prevent confusion. Researchers will use visual stimulus similarity (changing how alike images are) and different learning protocols (how often and in what order you learn things) to see how these affect memory. They will also use fMRI (a type of brain scan that measures brain activity) and eye tracking (observing eye movements) to learn more. This study is for healthy individuals aged 18 to 80, with some studies focusing on those aged 18-35. The goal is to understand how our brains keep similar memories separate, and the study will measure your behavior, brain activity, and eye movements.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 737 participants. It will involve manipulating the similarity of images and/or the learning procedures.
What's involved
You will study and try to remember various images displayed on a computer screen. This will involve making memory decisions using a keyboard or button box, and some sessions may include eye tracking or fMRI scans. Data will be collected over a 5-year period.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Results from sub-studies will be analyzed within 6 months of the conclusion of data collection, but it is not specified how long individual participants will be followed after their involvement.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT05092100

Neural Mechanisms for Reducing Interference During Episodic Memory Formation

Enrolling by Invitation
NAAges 18–80InterventionalBasic science
University of Oregon
~2,900 participants
Updated 2026-08-31 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Visual stimulus similarityfMRIEye tracking

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Behavior
Measured over Data will be collected over a 5 year period. Results from sub-studies will be analyzed within 6 months of the conclusion of data collection.
+2 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Behavior

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BehaviorHealthy VolunteersMemory

NCT05092100

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • University of Oregon

    Eugene, Oregonno site contact published

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Brice A Kuhl, Ph.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Oregon

Who to contact

This trial hasn't published a contact. View it on ClinicalTrials.gov

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

healthy and between the ages of 18-35 years old
native English speakers
right-handed.
healthy and between the ages of 18-80 years old
native English speakers
right-handed.

Exclusion

For some sub-studies, individuals older than age 35 will be excluded because of potential differences in cognitive and brain function across age groups that are beyond the scope of the proposed studies.
Individuals will be informed that use of psychoactive drugs, mental health disorders, and chronic or temporary sleep deficits (an average of less than 6 hours of sleep over the past month or less than 4 hours of sleep the night prior to the experimental session) are reasons for exclusion because of the potential influence on cognitive functioning.

What this trial measures

  • BehaviorData will be collected over a 5 year period. Results from sub-studies will be analyzed within 6 months of the conclusion of data collection.

    Behavioral responses will be recorded by keyboard or external button boxes. These responses will be used to assess the accuracy with which participants remember individual images. Accuracy will be averaged across stimuli within each learning condition to obtain measures of mean memory accuracy (i.e., the percentage of stimuli that were successfully remembered) per condition and participant.

  • fMRI pattern similarityData will be collected over a 5 year period. Results from sub-studies will be analyzed within 6 months of the conclusion of data collection.

    fMRI will be used to measure hemodynamic (BOLD) responses as participants study images. Pattern similarity analyses will be applied to the fMRI data. Pattern similarity will be indexed by the correlation (r) between patterns of BOLD activity. Pattern similarity will be computed for images within and across different learning conditions.

  • eye trackingData will be collected over a 5 year period. Results from sub-studies will be analyzed within 6 months of the conclusion of data collection.

    Eye tracking equipment will be used to measure gaze direction and fixations as participants study images. These data will be used to calculate variables such as the number of saccades (eye movements) made and the percentage of time (within each trial) spent looking at each portion of an image. Data from individual trials will be averaged across trials within each learning condition. This will yield mean values per condition and participant.