Investigating the Neuropsychological Effects of 5-HT2a Antagonism

NCT07022366 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2026-04-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Serotonin is an important chemical in the brain that helps control mood, sleep, and appetite. Most antidepressant medications work by affecting serotonin to help improve symptoms. A serotonin receptor is like a "lock" on the surface of brain cells, and serotonin acts like a "key" that fits into these locks. When serotonin binds to the receptor, it sends a signal that helps control different functions in the brain, like mood and behavior. There are different types of serotonin receptors, and each one affects different parts of the brain. Pimavanserin is a medication licensed in the United States of America for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's Disease. It has a very specific effect on one type of serotonin receptor (the serotonin 2a receptor). In this study, the investigators will use pimavanserin to understand more about this serotonin receptor, which may help develop new treatments for depression in the future. More specifically, the study will focus on how pimavanserin impacts cognitive functions such as memory, how we process emotional information and how we make decisions, and will compare these effects to a placebo (a treatment that doesn't have active ingredients).

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

DRUG

Pimavanserin 10mg

Single dose of pimavanserin (10mg)

DRUG

Placebo

Sucrose tablet

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Oxford

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-02-10
Primary Completion
2026-06-30
Completion
2026-09-30

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Drugs

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 NCT07022366 on ClinicalTrials.gov