Can white noise and dopamine help you learn new words?

This study is now finished.

This study investigates how white noise and dopamine can temporarily stimulate brain areas and contribute to learning new words.

If you are eligible and decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to attend a single 2.5-hour session at the Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Brisbane. At the beginning of the session, you will be asked to take one capsule of Levodopa or placebo (i.e., inactive substance). Levodopa is a precursor to dopamine, which provides a safe method to temporarily stimulate brain activity while learning. Soon after taking the capsule, you will be asked to complete a word learning task while auditory white noise is delivered through headphones and while your brain activity is scanned using magnetic resonance imaging.

Participant benefits:

You will receive $50 for your participation and $1 extra per word you learn correctly.

Eligibility:

Eligibility criteria include being aged between 18 and 35, having English as a first language and being right-handed.

Register your interest:

To express interest, email or call Sam Armstrong:
Email: samuel.armstrong@uq.edu.au
Phone number: 0424 449 609

This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No. 2019002194​]