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Pre-natal Cocaine ExposureNCT03268759

Development of Reward Processing in Prenatally Exposed Adolescents and Young Adults

An observational study of Pre-natal Cocaine Exposure and Risk-Taking, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Reward processing will be examined in prenatally exposed emerging adults in a longitudinal design. Participants will be followed for one year to see if neural markers of reward processing prospectively predict risk-taking behavior. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 20 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Pre-natal Cocaine Exposure, Risk-Taking
What is being tested?
fMRI
How many people
78 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
15 Sep 2017to 14 Sep 2020
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 20 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Study population: Emerging adults in this study will be drawn from a sample of 359 individuals who have been participating in a longitudinal study of the effects of PCE on physical, social, cognitive and emotional development. Children and their mothers who were exposed to drugs other than cocaine were also enrolled, as were non-drug exposed controls. Prenatal drug exposure status was ascertained at time of recruitment via a detailed interview that covered lifetime substance use and use in the past 30 days, as well as a urine screening of mother and infant and meconium toxicology. The sample from which participants will be recruited consists of 81% African American, 6.5% Hispanic and 12.5% Caucasian children, all of who come from the greater New Haven area. The sample was recruited at birth over a 5-year period.

Who may be able to join

  • Ability to provide written informed consent and to comply with all study procedures.
  • Healthy emerging adults between 18-20 years of age (the age of the currently followed sample at the time of the proposed start date).

Who cannot join

  • 1. A serious neurological or endocrine disorder or any medical condition or treatment known to affect the brain. 2. A medical condition that requires treatment with a medication with psychotropic effects.
  • 3. Evidence of stroke or space occupying lesions observed on conventional, clinical MR images.
  • 4. Any contraindications to MRI scanning (i.e., metal implants, pacemakers, etc.) 5. History of loss of consciousness (LOC) for longer than 30 minutes or LOC with any neurological sequelae.
  • 6. DSM-5 criteria for intellectual disability. 7. Current or a history of active neurological or psychiatric disorders, such as psychosis, bipolar illness, major depression, organic brain disease, dementia or DSM-V Axis I Psychiatric Disorder, including current alcohol or substance disorders. Participants will not be excluded for substance or alcohol use, only the presence of substance disorders.
  • 8. Current pregnancy. Female participants will be excluded if they report being currently pregnant or present positive for pregnancy after being given a urine test at the time of recruitment or scanning. If they become pregnant during the one-year follow-up duration of the study after the MRI scan is completed, they will remain in the study for the quarterly follow-ups and be referred to pre-natal care if they have not begun such care already.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Child Study Center

    New Haven, Connecticut, 06520

Other trials in United States

About this study

Reward processing will be examined in prenatally exposed emerging adults in a longitudinal design. Participants will be followed for one year to see if neural markers of reward processing prospectively predict risk-taking behavior.

Read the detailed description

This cohort will be drawn from a pre-existing cohort of individuals recruited as part of an already existing study, and who have been followed since birth. Reward processing will be measured in two temporally close testing sessions involving two methodologies, electrophysiology and fMRI. Information will also be collected pertaining to experimental and problematic drug use, as well as information about mood, at the recording sessions. Drug use and mood information will then be collected once again in quarterly follow-up sessions for one year. The goal is to examine if PCE status and reward processing are risk factors for problematic drug abuse and risky behaviors in emerging adulthood, and if these factors interact to increase such risk.

Being tested
fMRI
Keywords
substance abuse
Medical subject headings
Risk-Taking, Substance-Related Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • fMRIOther

    Also called EEG

    Observation of neural markers of reward processing

Study groups in NCT03268759
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PCEEmerging adult individuals who were exposed to cocaine in-utero
Receives: Other: fMRI
NCEEmerging adult individuals who were not exposed to cocaine in-utero
Receives: Other: fMRI

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Risk-taking behavior:Drug and alcohol use

    Teen Addiction Severity Index (Interview)

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

  2. Change in Risk-taking behavior:gambling behaviors

    Massachusetts gambling screen (MAGS)

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Change in affect over time

    Positive and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS)

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

  2. Change in alexithymia over time

    Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

  3. Change in experience of reward

    Chapman Social and Physical Anhedonia Questionnaires

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

  4. Change in emotion regulation strategies

    Emotion regulation questionaire (ERQ)

    Measured: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Aug 2017
  2. Study start15 Sep 2017
  3. Primary completion14 Sep 2020
  4. Study completion14 Sep 2020

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
78 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03268759
Sponsor's protocol ID
0203014534
Other IDs
1K01DA042937
Status last verified
May 2021
First submitted
25 Aug 2017
Last updated
4 May 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Pre-natal Cocaine Exposure and Risk-Taking, run by Yale University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Risk-taking behavior:Drug and alcohol use (time frame: 4x per year for one year (Baseline, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 May 2021; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.

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