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Effects of Nicotine and Attention on Frequency Tuning in Auditory Cortex

NCT05018117 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: EARLY_PHASE1 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 48

Last updated 2024-04-12

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Nicotine enhances auditory-cognitive function because it mimics the brain's system for "paying attention" to important sounds amid distractions (for example, understanding speech in a noisy environment). In part, nicotine does this by activating inhibitory neurons in the auditory cortex. Since age-related hearing deficits result, in part, from the loss of inhibitory neurons in auditory cortex, this project will determine whether nicotine's effects can compensate for reduced inhibition in the aging auditory cortex and thereby restore auditory function.

The investigators will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the selectivity of responses in auditory cortex to tones of various frequencies. The investigators will measure the effects of nicotine (administered as chewing gum) and aging on these fMRI response properties. The investigators hypothesize that frequency selectivity will decrease with aging and increase following nicotine administration.

Conditions

  • Aging

Interventions

DRUG

Nicotine gum

The effects of over-the-counter nicotine gum will be compared to a placebo gum

OTHER

Placebo gum

The effects of over-the-counter nicotine gum will be compared to a placebo gum

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Michael A Silver, PhD · University of California, Berkeley

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
85 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-06-06
Primary Completion
2025-12-31
Completion
2025-12-31
FDA Drug
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05018117 on ClinicalTrials.gov