Ghrelin decreases sensitivity to negative feedback and increases prediction-error related caudate activity in humans, a randomized controlled trial

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Ghrelin.

The reversal learning task with monetary rewards was performed during functional brain imaging to investigate ghrelin effects on brain signals related to reward prediction errors.

Why It Was Studied

Mechanisms related to reward processing might mediate ghrelin's broader effects on complex behaviors, as indicated by animal studies and mostly correlative human studies.

Here, using a within-subject double-blind placebo-controlled design with intravenous ghrelin infusion in healthy volunteers (n = 30), the researchers tested whether ghrelin alters sensitivity to reward and punishment in a reward learning task.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were young adults and adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Ghrelin group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Ghrelin study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Ghrelin, giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

Here, using a within-subject double-blind placebo-controlled design with intravenous ghrelin infusion in healthy volunteers (n = 30), the researchers tested whether ghrelin alters sensitivity to reward and punishment in a reward learning task.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Ghrelin, Reward, Caudate Nucleus, Punishment, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Reversal Learning and Feedback, Psychological.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Ghrelin.

The publication is from 2024 (Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Ghrelin compound page, all human trials.