Unconscious Reduction of Fear Through Decoded Neuro-Reinforcement

Part of paid clinical trials in Los Angeles, California.

Sponsor
University of California, Los Angeles
Study ID
NCT06420557
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

  • Phobia

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 65 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement — BEHAVIORAL
    Individuals will complete an implicit fmri neuro-reinforcement task where real-time brain activity is matched to a desired activation. Individuals will also receive financial reward for activating the desired activation. Visual feedback will be presented to indicate how well individuals' brain activity matches the desired activation. Individuals will complete 1 session of neuro-reinforcement.
  • Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement — BEHAVIORAL
    Individuals will complete an implicit fmri neuro-reinforcement task where real-time brain activity is matched to a desired activation. Individuals will also receive financial reward for activating the desired activation. Visual feedback will be presented to indicate how well individuals' brain activity matches the desired activation. Individuals will complete 3 sessions of neuro-reinforcement.
  • Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement — BEHAVIORAL
    Individuals will complete an implicit fmri neuro-reinforcement task where real-time brain activity is matched to a desired activation. Individuals will also receive financial reward for activating the desired activation. Visual feedback will be presented to indicate how well individuals' brain activity matches the desired activation. Individuals will complete 5 sessions of neuro-reinforcement.

Study Details

This application investigates the efficacy of a novel method of neuro-reinforcement based on decoded fMRI activity to reduce fear responses in individuals with phobias (e.g., spiders, snakes). This method works unconsciously in the brain, without the need for participants to endure repeated conscious exposures to their feared stimuli. Fear-related disorders such as specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety disorders present a major challenge, as effective treatment options usually involve repeated exposures to feared stimuli, leading to high levels of distress, fear, and panic that can motivate premature treatment termination. Consequently, there is an unmet need for treatment that minimizes subjective discomfort and attrition in order to maximize efficacy. Recent developments in computational neuroimaging have enabled a method that can deliver unconscious exposure to feared stimuli, resulting in effective fear reduction while bypassing a primary cause of treatment attrition. Because this treatment method happens unconsciously in the brain, changes in behavior outcomes are potentially more likely to generalize to different contexts, thereby overcoming a limitation of traditional treatments.

Key Dates

Start date
Sep 9, 2024
Status verified
Sep 2025
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2026
Completion
Sep 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: 1 Session
    1 neuro-reinforcement session
  • Experimental: 3 Sessions
    3 neuro-reinforcement sessions
  • Experimental: 5 sessions
    5 neuro-reinforcement sessions

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Amygdala Reactivity [ Time Frame: 14 days (measured at pre-treatment and 2 weeks) ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia90095
Michelle G Craske, PhD
[email protected]
310-206-9191
Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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By research site
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