Acoustic Stimulation for Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep in Young Adults
This study is looking at how acoustic stimulation (sound played during sleep) might help young adults aged 18-25 who experience anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. You would wear a special headband device that plays quiet tones during deep sleep to enhance your slow-wave activity (a type of brain wave important for sleep quality). Researchers want to see if this stimulation, both overnight in a lab and for about two weeks at home, can improve sleep and affect how you process emotions and pay attention. To join, you need to have elevated anxiety or depression symptoms and sleep disturbance, as determined by specific questionnaires. The study aims to enroll 40 participants.
- Study design
- This is an interventional study involving 40 participants. It compares receiving acoustic stimulation through a headband device to wearing the device without stimulation.
- What's involved
- You would complete two overnight stays in a sleep lab and then wear a headband device at home for approximately two weeks. You'll also complete online screenings, a hearing test, and keep a sleep diary.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Your slow-wave activity will be assessed daily during the two weeks at home, and attention changes will be measured after specific overnight conditions, with about 1-2 weeks between each condition.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Acoustic Stimulation, Sleep, and Cognitive-Emotional Processes in Young Adults With Anxiety and Depression Symptoms
At a glance
Conditions
NCT05802004
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 Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniastudy coordinator listed
Recruiting
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
- Michelle E Stepan, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Pittsburgh
Who to contact
Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.
What this trial measures
- Acute change in slow-wave activityChange between two nights, one night in the Sham condition and one night in the Stim condition, separated by ~1-2 weeks
Change in 0.5 - 4 Hz delta spectral power
- Slow-wave activity (chronic change)Assessed daily during the ~2 weeks at home
0.5 - 4 Hz delta spectral power
- Change in top-down attention d'Change between three days; one following a night in the Sham condition, one following a night in the Stim condition, and one following either the Sham2 or Stim2 condition; with ~1-2 weeks between each condition
Change in the standardized hit rate for AX trials minus the standardized false alarm rate to AY trials on the modified AX-CPT task
- Change in cognitive flexibility d'Change between three days; one following a night in the Sham condition, one following a night in the Stim condition, and one following either the Sham2 or Stim2 condition; with ~1-2 weeks between each condition
Change in the standardized hit rate for BY trials minus the standardized false alarm rate to AX trials on the modified AX-CPT task
- Change in frontoparietal cognitive control circuit activityChange between two days, one following a night in the Sham condition and one following a night in the Stim condition, separated by ~1-2 weeks
Change in fMRI activity in the frontoparietal cognitive control circuit activity (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, middle cingulate gyrus, precuneus) for the AX v. AY contrast during the modified AX-CPT task
- Change in frontoparietal cognitive control circuit activityChange between two days, one following a night in the Sham condition and one following a night in the Stim condition, separated by ~1-2 weeks
Change in fMRI activity in the frontoparietal cognitive control circuit activity (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, middle cingulate gyrus, precuneus) for the BY v. AX contrast during the modified AX-CPT task
- Change in negative affectChange between three days; one following a night in the Sham condition, one following a night in the Stim condition, and one following either the Sham2 or Stim2 condition; with ~1-2 weeks between each condition
Change in average self-reported negative affect using Likert-style scales during the International Affective Picture Stimuli task. Scales will range from 1-100, with higher scores representing more negative affect.
- Change in frontolimbic emotional reactivity circuit activityChange between two days, one following a night in the Sham condition and one following a night in the Stim condition, separated by ~1-2 weeks
Change in fMRI activity in the frontolimbic emotional reactivity circuit activity for the negative v. neutral image contrast during the International Affective Picture Stimuli task
- Change in anxiety symptomsChange between four days; the screening visit, one following a night in the Sham condition, one following a night in the Stim condition, and one following either the Sham2 or Stim2 condition; with ~1-2 weeks between each
Change in self-reported anxiety using the PROMIS anxiety scale (T-scores range from 36.3-82.7, with higher scores indicating worse anxiety symptoms)
- Change in depression symptomsChange between four days; the screening visit, one following a night in the Sham condition, one following a night in the Stim condition, and one following either the Sham2 or Stim2 condition; with ~1-2 weeks between each
Change in self-reported depression using the PROMIS depression scale (T-scores range from 37.1-81.1, with higher scores indicating worse depression symptoms)
- Change in moodChange across the ~2 weeks at home
Change in self-reported mood on the Daytime Insomnia Symptom Scale. All 20 subscales will be assessed and each subscale score ranges from 1-100, with higher scores indicating more of that mood (i.e., alert, sad, tense, effort, happy, weary, calm, sleep, overall mood, clear-headed, fatigued, anxious, exhausted, relaxed, forgetful, efficient, stressed, energetic, irritable, ability to concentrate).
- Change in anxiety/depression symptomsChange across the ~2 weeks at home
Change in self-reported anxiety and depression using the Anxiety and Depression Scale (Both subscales will be assessed. Scores on each subscale range from 0-8, which higher scores indicating either more anxiety or more depression).