NCT02629107

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sleep Study With Auditory Stimuli

Recruiting now Last updated 1 April 2026

What this trial tests

trial in Normal Physiology in 2,378 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

14 January 2016

Primary endpoint
31 December 2044

31 December 2045

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment	2,378
Start date	14 January 2016
Primary completion	31 December 2044
Estimated completion	31 December 2045
Sites	1 location across United States

Conditions studied

• Normal Physiology — all drugs for Normal Physiology →

Sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Who can join

Adults 18 to 34, any sex, with Normal Physiology. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Background:

An electroencephalogram (EEG) measures the brain s electrical activity. EEG shows that the louder the sound needed to wake a person, the deeper the person s sleep. Researchers are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study people during sleep so they can view brain activity in 3D. But they still need to correlate fMRI with sound thresholds, like the EEG.

Objective:

To measure brain activity during sleep using fMRI and EEG.

Eligibility:

Healthy people ages 18 34 who can sleep on their back for several hours.

Design:

Participants will be screened online about their sleep and general health.

At a screening visit, participants will have:

Physical exam

Hearing exam

MRI scan. A strong magnetic field and radio waves take pictures of the brain. Participants will lie down on a bed that slides into the scanner, which is shaped like a cylinder.

Participants will wear an actigraph on their wrist that records their motor activity.

Participants will follow a 2-week routine. This includes regular in-to-bed and out-of-bed times and limits on alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.

During the overnight visits, participants will have:

Female subjects will have a urine pregnancy test.

fMRI. A coil will be placed over the head. Participants will do tasks shown on a computer screen inside the scanner.

EEG. Small electrodes on the scalp will record brain waves while sleeping or doing a task in the scanner.

Participants will be asked to try to sleep while researchers collect fMRI and EEG data. Participants eyes will be monitored with a video camera. Headphones will deliver sounds to wake them up throughout the night.

...

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. All-night functional magnetic resonance imaging sleep studies.
   Moehlman TM, de Zwart JA, Chappel-Farley MG, Liu X, et al · · 2019 · cited 36× · PMID 30243817 · DOI 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.09.019
2. Sleep-stage dependent patterning of slowly propagating brain activity.
   Liu X, Picchioni D, Yang Y, Mandelkow H, et al · · 2025 · cited 2× · PMID 41776265 · DOI 10.1038/s44323-024-00017-x