RECRUITING

Unconscious Reduction of Fear Through Decoded Neuro-reinforcement

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

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.

Official Title

Unconscious Reduction of Fear Through Decoded Neuro-reinforcement

Quick Facts

Study Start:2024-09-09
Study Completion:2026-09-30
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06420557

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:No
Standard Ages:ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. 1. Individual has normal or corrected to normal vision
  2. 2. Individual has normal or corrected to normal hearing
  3. 3. Individual is competent to understand informed consent
  4. 4. Individual must meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for specific phobias, animal subtype
  1. 1. Individual is unable to fill in consent form correctly
  2. 2. Individual is unable to respond adequately to screening questions
  3. 3. Individual is unable to maintain focus or to sit during assessment
  4. 4. Individual has history of: neurological disease or defect (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia or other psychological disorders, or seizures) Individual has vision problems (including cataracts, amblyopia, or glaucoma) Individual presents with: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis, neurologic diagnoses or unstable serious medical conditions
  5. 5. Participant receives an elevated score on the PHQ-9
  6. 6. Individual does not present with more than one object of specific phobia
  7. 7. Individual can touch the phobic object category during the pre-treatment Behavioral Approach Test without presenting significant distress
  8. 8. Individual is currently prescribed psychotropic medication

Contacts and Locations

Study Contact

Gabriel J Fiol, B.A.
CONTACT
7252228834
gfiol@psych.ucla.edu
Kainoa R MacDonald, B.A.
CONTACT
macdonald@psych.ucla.edu

Principal Investigator

Michelle G Craske, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of California, Los Angeles

Study Locations (Sites)

University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, 90095
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles

  • Michelle G Craske, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of California, Los Angeles

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2024-09-09
Study Completion Date2026-09-30

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2024-09-09
Study Completion Date2026-09-30

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • unconscious fear extinction
  • anxiety disorders
  • decoded neuro-reinforcement

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Phobia