Neuroimaging of Pavlovian Fear Conditioning Processes in Patients With Pathological Anxiety

Status unconfirmed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, Phobia

In brief

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).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03498599

Run by

University of Texas at Austin

People needed

40

Starts

2017-08-01

Expected to finish

2020-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2018-04-13

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 50. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

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

You may not qualify if…

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

Where it is running

• The University of Texas at Austin — Austin, Texas, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.