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The Computational and Neural Mechanisms Linking Decision-making and Memory in Humans

NCT ID: NCT06072378

Last Updated: 2025-12-17

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-10-31

Study Completion Date

2028-09-01

Brief Summary

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Learning to make good decisions in the present, and accurately recalling events and information from the past, are critical aspects of human cognition that are often impaired in many psychiatric disorders. This project aims to identify the how the choices individuals make influence what, and how, people remember by combining disparate techniques in computational modeling and direct brain recordings in human subjects. The researcher developed a dual-task paradigm, probing how decisions in one task affect immediate recognition memory. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying model-free RL's influence on memory, the researcher will record local field potential (LFP) and single neuron activity in various brain regions as epilepsy patients perform the proposed task. The results of this project will identify specific neurocomputational mechanisms unifying decision-making and memory processes.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Memory, Short-Term

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Value-manipulation

Participants with epilepsy will complete a behavioral task in which they use a laptop computer to do a decision-making and memory task.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Value-manipulation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

During the decision-making task, different choices are assigned different values probabilistically.

Interventions

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Value-manipulation

During the decision-making task, different choices are assigned different values probabilistically.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Has seizure activity which is deemed non-responsive to standard pharmacological intervention(s), as determined by treating Neurologist and established clinical practices
* Has elected to receive clinically indicated intracranial EEG (electrocorticography (ECoG), stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)) and/or temporal responsive neurostimulation (RNS) for medication-refractory epilepsy outside of this research study, as determined by treating clinician(s) and per current clinical practice
* Capacity to provide written informed consent
* Language proficiency in English or Spanish
* Willing and able to comply with all study-related procedures

Exclusion Criteria

* History of psychosis, such as in the context of depressive or manic episode.
* Active suicidal ideation with intent, suicide attempt within the last six months, or other serious suicide risk
* Inability to provide informed consent or reliably participate in study assessments, as per the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA; score \< 26) or in the opinion of the evaluating neuropsychologist.
* Individuals unwilling or unable to undergo electrode implantation procedures
* Medical contraindications to neurosurgery or for general anesthesia, neurosurgery, or an MRI scan (required for electrode implantation)
* Neurological disorder other than epilepsy or other significant brain pathology, if contraindicated in the opinion of implanting neurosurgeon.
* Women who are pregnant
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Salman Ehtesham Qasim, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Salman E Qasim, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

Locations

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Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Salman E Qasim, PhD

Role: CONTACT

[email protected]
212-824-9531

Other Identifiers

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K99MH132873

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

Pro2024002100

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id