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Noradrenergic Manipulation and Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy in Phobic Participants

NCT02007694 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 56

Last updated 2015-07-08

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Recent advances in animal research have identified pharmacological agents that appear to both accelerate and consolidate extinction learning. One cognitive enhancers is Yohimbine hydrochloride (YOH). A finding in animal literature is that the administration of YOH during extinction trials accelerates fear reduction and may convert ineffective exposures in to successful ones. It is thought that the mechanism of enhanced emotional memory is through elevated norepinephrine. However, recent findings demonstrate mixed results. In a randomized controlled trial claustrophobic participants underwent exposure in combination with YOH or placebo. The YOH group showed significantly better results on anxiety improvement than the placebo group. In a more recent study with participants with fear of flying no additional benefits of YOH were demonstrated. Therefore, we intend to replicate and extend these studies by enhancing the dose of YOH in combination with VRET and by extending our experimental design with another group which receives propranolol in combination with VRET. Propranolol is β-adrenergic receptor antagonist, which has proven to disrupt reconsolidation in healthy humans. In this randomized controlled trial a between groups design is chosen to further characterize the differential within and between trial extinction and to enhance possible between groups effects. Sixty participants with fear of flying or fear of heights will be randomly assigned to one of the following three conditions 1) VRET plus YOH, 2) VRET plus Propranolol, or 3) VRET plus placebo. Participants in all conditions will be offered three sessions of VRET over a period of two weeks.

Conditions

  • Phobic Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)

Graded exposure to feared specific stimulus by computer-generated 3D virtual environments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • VU University of Amsterdam

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Paul Emmelkamp, PhD · University of Amsterdam

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2013-03-31
Primary Completion
2014-12-31
Completion
2014-12-31

Countries

  • Netherlands

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02007694 on ClinicalTrials.gov