Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Texas at Austin

Code:

NCT03498599

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Panic Disorder

Social Phobia

Phobia

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 50

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Novelty facilitated extinction

Standard Extinction

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how the human brain learns to form associations between neutral and emotional stimuli. The study is based on the basic principles of Pavlovian conditioning.

When someone learns that a neutral stimulus (such as the sound of a bell) predicts an unpleasant stimulus (such as a mild electrical shock), the neutral stimulus takes on the properties of an emotional stimulus.

The investigators are interested in the neural processes involved in this learning in people with a clinical anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety Disorders

Panic Disorder

Social Phobia

Phobia

Study ID

NCT03498599

Start date

Aug 1, 2017

Status verified date

Apr, 2018

Completion date

Jun, 2020

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun, 2020

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 50

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female volunteer aged 18-50 years old
2. Able to understand procedures and agree to participate in the study by giving written informed consent.
3. Speaks fluent English.
4. Not taking illicit drugs.
5. No history of neurological problems.
6. Eligible for MRI, including no metal in the body or body piercings that cannot be removed.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Current comorbid Axis 1 psychiatric disorder
2. Women who are current pregnant or breastfeeding
3. Lifetime diagnosis of any psychotic disorder, cognitive suicidal ideation, substance abuse or alcohol dependence, hoarding.
4. Medications that act on the central nervous system that interfere with interpretation of the findings (e.g., painkillers, Adderall)
5. Claustrophobia
6. Patients who are unable to comply with procedures or assessments.

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Novelty facilitated extinction

Behavioral intervention. After Pavlovian fear conditioning, the shock is omitted and replaced by a novel, surprising, and neutral auditory tone.

other: Standard extinction

The shock is omitted during standard extinction

Interventions

Novelty facilitated extinction

In the novelty-facilitated extinction design, the aversive outcome (i.e., mild unpleasant electrical pulse) is omitted and replaced by a low volume auditory tone.

Standard Extinction

During standard fear extinction the expected aversive outcome is omitted.

Primary outcome measure

  • Changes in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-BOLD (blood-oxygen-level dependent) signal in sensory, prefrontal, and limbic regions during a study on the neurobiology of Pavlovian fear conditioning in humans [ Time Frame: Only on the day of the experiment ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Joseph Dunsmoor, PhD

5124955114joseph.dunsmoor@austin.utexas.edu

Locations

The University of Texas at Austin

Recruiting

Austin, Texas, United States, 78705

Contacts

Joseph Dunsmoor, PhD

512-495-5114joseph.dunsmoor@austin.utexas.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Texas at Austin

Last update posted

Apr 13, 2018

Last verified

Apr, 2018

Keywords

  • neuroimaging
  • fear conditioning

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Texas at Austin on 2018-04-13.