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The Dynamics of Representational Change Underlying Recall

NCT07442266 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2026-03-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine how repeated memory retrieval changes visual representations in the brain in healthy adult participants. Specifically, the study aims to determine whether repeated recall strengthens or transforms neural representations in visual cortex compared to a time-matched control condition. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1) Does repeated retrieval produce cumulative changes in visual cortical representations compared to a control condition matched for elapsed time? 2) Do these representational changes differ for simple spatial stimuli and complex natural images?

Researchers will compare neural activity patterns during repeated retrieval to those during a control retrieval condition to determine whether repeated recall leads to systematic changes in representational structure beyond those attributable to the passage of time. Participants will: 1) complete two fMRI sessions. 2) Undergo a localizer session including anatomical imaging, population receptive field (pRF) mapping, and a visual category localizer task. 3) Study cue-stimulus pairs consisting of either simple spatial patterns or natural images. 4) Recall previously studied stimuli multiple times during repeated and control retrieval conditions while undergoing fMRI scanning. Brain activity patterns during study and recall will be compared to assess how repeated retrieval influences the structure and tuning of visual representations.

Conditions

  • Episodic Memory

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Visual Memory Encoding and Retrieval Task During fMRI

Participants will study cue-stimulus associations and subsequently retrieve the associated stimuli while undergoing fMRI scanning. Retrieval will occur under two conditions: (1) repeated retrieval, in which stimuli are recalled five times, and (2) control retrieval, in which stimuli are recalled twice with timing matched to the repeated condition. Neural activity patterns during study and recall will be measured using BOLD fMRI.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

    collaborator NIH

  • Brown University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

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

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-03
Primary Completion
2026-08-31
Completion
2026-08-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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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 NCT07442266 on ClinicalTrials.gov