NCT07457567

Neural Mechanisms of the Social Brain

Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Live Face-to-Face Interactions

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Yale University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to understand the neural mechanisms that underlie synchronization of two brains during social interactions.

Detailed description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all participants giving written informed consent will undergo a structural MRI image for anatomical localization of the targeted stimulation site. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two TMS target locations, and will be identified for the TMS experiments. Two to three days prior to the TMS experiment, participants will undergo a before TMS/fNIRS experiment. On the day of the TMS experiment participants will undergo a functional dyadic neuroimaging session after TMS stimulation. For the neuromodulation experiments, tDCS, selected sites for stimulation will be identified on the T1 anatomical scans for each participant who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. In each case the face-gaze fNIRS experiment will be run. Aim 2: Two targeted sites will be confirmed as neural hubs by modification of fiducial neural regions based on the findings of cTBS disruptions. Rationale: These locations and functional specializations are necessary for the proposed neuromodulation tests in the upcoming clinical trial phase. Part 1: Stimulate to disrupt the site associated with eye-to-eye contact hypothesized to be right superior parietal lobule. Part 2: Stimulate to disrupt the site associated with live face gaze hypothesized to be right supramarginal gyrus. The focus of this registration is Aim 2.

Conditions

• Live Face Processing in Typically Developed Participants

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)	TMS to targeted regions. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, tDCS, to targeted and sham regions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-01
• Primary completion: 2027-09-01
• Completion: 2027-09-01
• First posted: 2026-03-09
• Last updated: 2026-03-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study