Stress Through Audition: Uptake, Recovery, Oscillations During Nature Exposure
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-45
SponsorHôpital le Vinatier
About this trial
The protocol the investigators propose aims to address certain gaps by developing a multimodal paradigm, based on:
* Induction of acute stress via the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST), a standardised protocol recognised for its effectiveness in activating both the HPA axis and the autonomic nervous system. * A 10-minute auditory exposure to two types of soundscapes (natural vs urban), designed in accordance with ecological standards (recordings taken from real-world environments and featuring representative natural and anthropogenic sound components, with the aim of making the stimulus as close as possible to real-life experiences). * A battery of synchronised, multimodal measurements, including hormonal measurements (salivary cortisol at 10 time points), continuous autonomic nervous system measurements (HR, HRV, BP), a high-density EEG and analysis via EEG Source Imaging (ESI), a battery of cognitive tests typically sensitive to stress (Continuous Visual Attention Task, N-back, Delay Discounting Task), and a light polysomnography study conducted at home to assess delayed effects on sleep.
This design will enable the investigators to examine, as comprehensively as possible, the dynamics of post-stress recovery across several levels of analysis (biological, cerebral, cognitive and behavioural). It will also enable the investigators to identify the specific effects of the sound environment on each of these levels. By cross-referencing neurophysiological, hormonal and behavioural responses, we hope to document how natural sound environments actively regulate stress and cognition and to explore the mechanisms involved.
This project could pave the way for applications in mental health, preventive neuroscience, acoustic urban planning and non-pharmacological interventions, by providing a rigorous scientific foundation to support recommendations for the design or management of stress in professional, educational or clinical settings.
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Men and women between 18 and 45 years of age inclusive;
Informed about the study and having signed the consent form;
With normal vision (with or without correction);
Able to understand the experimental instructions;
Disqualifiers
Having a vision or hearing impairment that could prevent the proper performance of tasks involving reading on a screen or paper and listening to auditory stimuli;
Being a smoker;
Having a somatic condition, particularly a neurological or endocrine disorder, or a circulatory disorder in the extremities (Raynaud's disease);
Having or having had a personal or first-degree family history of diagnosed psychiatric disorders (according to Axis 1 of the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - DSM-5);
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Natural soundscape auditory exposure
Behavioral10-minute passive auditory exposure to a standardized natural soundscape assembled from real-world recordings normalized and characterized. Delivered via headphones in a seated, resting position immediately following MAST-induced acute stress. Single administration per participant
Urban soundscape auditory exposure
Behavioral10-minute passive auditory exposure to a standardized urban soundscape assembled from real-world recordings normalized and characterized. Delivered via headphones in a seated, resting position immediately following MAST-induced acute stress. Single administration per participant.
Treatment groups
60 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Participants exposed to the natural soundscapeExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Participants exposed to the urban soundscapeActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Change in salivary cortisol concentration following acute stress and a natural soundscape exposure.
Salivary cortisol will be measured as a biological marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, in response to an acute stress induction (MAST) followed by a 10-minute auditory exposure to a natural soundscape.
Time frame
Day 12
Change in salivary cortisol concentration following acute stress and an urban soundscape exposure.
Salivary cortisol will be measured as a biological marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, in response to an acute stress induction (MAST) followed by a 10-minute auditory exposure to an urban soundscape.
Time frame
Day 1Secondary outcomes
1
Post-stress cognitive performance across sustained attention task for the urban soundscape arm.
Cognitive performance assessed via computerized task: the Continuous Visual Attention Task (CVAT, sustained attention) for the urban soundscape arm.
Time frame
Day 12
Post-stress cognitive performance across sustained attention task for the natural soundscape arm.
Cognitive performance assessed via computerized task: the Continuous Visual Attention Task (CVAT, sustained attention) for the natural soundscape arm.
Time frame
Day 13
Post-stress cognitive performance across working memory task for the urban soundscape arm.
Cognitive performance assessed via computerized task: the N-back task (working memory) for the urban soundscape arm.
Time frame
Day 14
Post-stress cognitive performance across working memory task for the natural soundscape arm.
Cognitive performance assessed via computerized task: the N-back task (working memory) for the natural soundscape arm.
Time frame
Day 1Locations
Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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