A Phase 4 interventional study of Atomoxetine and Placebo in Apathy, sponsored by University of Oxford. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-18.
Sponsored by University of Oxford · Phase 4, Interventional, and Other
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This study investigates how increasing noradrenaline levels with atomoxetine affects motivation and information processing relevant to apathy. Apathy, characterised by low motivation and reduced goal-directed behaviour, is common across neuropsychiatric disorders and is associated with poorer outcomes. Atomoxetine, a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, has been shown to influence effort, reward learning, and decision-making; however, its effects on cognitive processes relevant to apathy remain unclear.
This study will investigate how pharmacologically increasing noradrenaline levels with atomoxetine affects different components of motivation altered in apathy, including reward processing, effort-based decision-making, goal-directed behaviour, and learning.
In a within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised study, forty healthy participants with varying levels of apathy will complete a computerised task battery after receiving a single dose of atomoxetine (40 mg) and placebo. Validated tasks assessing motivation, reward learning, decision-making, goal-directed behaviour, and information processing will be used to examine whether and how atomoxetine influences motivation-related cognitive processes.
University of Oxford is the lead sponsor of 813 studies on the registry; 120 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive a single dose of atomoxetine (40 mg) at visit 1 and placebo at visit 2.
Drug: Atomoxetine · Other: Placebo
Participants receive a single dose of placebo at visit 1 and atomoxetine (40 mg) at visit 2.
Drug: Atomoxetine · Other: Placebo
Acute (single dose) of Atomoxetine (40mg). Oral administration. Atomoxetine is FDA approved for the treatment of ADHD in adults and children.
Sucrose pillules will be encapsulated in an opaque capsule (identical to the experimental drug).
Effort-based choice behaviour during the Apple Gathering Task
Change in the acceptance rate of offers requiring varying levels of physical effort for reward, measured during the Apple Gathering Task. Higher acceptance rates indicate greater willingness to exert effort for reward.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Effort-based choice behaviour during the Mental Effort Task
Change in the acceptance rate of offers requiring varying levels of cognitive effort for reward, measured during the Mental Effort Task. Higher acceptance rates indicate greater willingness to exert cognitive effort for reward.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo
Prior goal precision on the Goal Priors Assay Task
Estimated prior goal precision derived from the relationship between estimation error (difference between estimated and actual ball landing position) and performance error (difference between actual ball landing position and target position). Higher values indicate greater weighting of prior beliefs relative to sensory evidence.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Reinforcement learning under working memory load task behavioural performance
Change in behavioural performance, measured as the proportion of optimal choices across low and high working memory load conditions.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Reinforcement learning under working memory load task parameter estimate
Change in participant-specific learning rate parameter estimate derived from computational modelling of learning and working memory task performance across low and high working memory load conditions.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Affective Go/No-Go Task Behavioural Performance
Change in behavioural performance, (response time; accuracy) on the Affective Go/No-Go Task.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Reward sensitivity computational parameter estimates from effort-based decision-making tasks.
Change in participant-specific parameter estimates of reward sensitivity derived from computational modelling of performance on the Apple Gathering Task and Mental Effort Task.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Effort sensitivity computational parameter estimates from effort-based decision-making tasks.
Change in participant-specific effort sensitivity parameter derived from computational modelling of performance on the Apple Gathering Task and Mental Effort Task.
Time frame: During the post-dose task battery, approximately 2-3 hours after single dose of atomoxetine or placebo.
Plan to share: Yes — Data which has been fully de-identified may be shared with other academic and commercial organisations in the future, including those outside of the UK and the EU. Participants will be informed of this and specific consent to this is obtained within the Informed Consent Form.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Informed consent form, Analytic code
Time frame: A few months after all data has been completed (ETA October 2027), unblinding has occurred (ETA November 2027), and all data analyses has been completed (ETA Jan 2029).
Access criteria: The data will be made publicly available. Access requests will not be required.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Aug 2026; primary completion for Oct 2027, 14 months later.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Atomoxetine
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