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The Link Between Mental Imagery and the Reduction of Fear in Imaginal Extinction

NCT03989518 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 60

Last updated 2019-11-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Imaginal exposure is a widely used psychological treatment technique. Imaginal extinction is an experimental analogue of imaginal exposure, that allows the study of this treatment technique under controlled circumstances (Agren, Björkstrand, \& Fredrikson, 2017). During imaginal extinction, experimentally induced fear is diminished through repeated exposure to mental imagery of the feared (conditioned) stimulus. However, it is not known to what extent fear reduction depends on the mental imagery produced during this procedure. A better understanding of the mechanisms driving the effects of imaginal exposure and the factors moderating fear reduction could have significant clinical utility, by suggesting mechanistically informed ways to improve this treatment.

Conditions

  • Healthy Subjects

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Fear acquisition

Day 1. Participants are exposed to two different visual stimuli. One of these stimuli is paired with a mild electric shock (i.e. conditioned stimuli).

BEHAVIORAL

Imaginal extinction

Day 2 (24 hours after Day 1). Participants are exposed to mental imagery of the stimuli used during fear conditioning. Imagery is prompted through different verbal instructions presented in a pseudo-randomized order. No shocks are delivered. Prior to imaginal extinction, participants receive task specific training.

BEHAVIORAL

Reinstatement

Day 3 (48 h after day1). Participants are exposed to the same stimuli used during fear conditioning (day 1) and imaginal extinction (day 2). Two unsignaled shocks are delivered at the beginning of the experiment, prior to the presentation of the first visual stimulus. No further shocks are delivered. This procedure allows the study of long term effects of imaginal extinction.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Uppsala University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-02-25
Primary Completion
2019-10-30
Completion
2019-10-30

Countries

  • Sweden

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 NCT03989518 on ClinicalTrials.gov