Individuals With Fear of Spiders Clinical Trial
Official title:
Neural Activations During Imaginal Exposure in Individuals Fearful of Spiders
| Verified date | May 2019 |
| Source | Uppsala University |
| Contact | n/a |
| Is FDA regulated | No |
| Health authority | |
| Study type | Interventional |
This study explores the brain basis of imaginal exposure, a widely used psychological
treatment technique. Specifically, this study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to
examine brain areas activated during imaginal exposure, in individuals fearful of spiders.
Physiological responses and subjective fear experienced during imaginal exposure are also
assessed.
The primary aim of this study is to explore differences in neural activity during exposure to
phobic, compared to neutral, mental imagery. The study will focus primarily on exploratory
whole brain analyses, but will also include regions of interest analyses on brain areas
previously associated with imaginal exposure. The experimental procedure consists of repeated
exposure to mental imagery, i.e. imagery of short durations, including either highly
emotion-provoking or neutral content, prompted by verbal instructions. A secondary aim is to
explore the effects of repeated exposure to mental imagery, used during the experimental
procedure, on subjective fear and physiological responses.
| Status | Completed |
| Enrollment | 30 |
| Est. completion date | February 22, 2018 |
| Est. primary completion date | February 14, 2018 |
| Accepts healthy volunteers | Accepts Healthy Volunteers |
| Gender | All |
| Age group | 18 Years and older |
| Eligibility |
Inclusion Criteria: - Significant fear of spiders Exclusion Criteria: - Current psychiatric disorder other than spider phobia - Substance abuse - Neurological disease - Psychological treatment or psychotropic medication within six months - Magnetic resonance imaging contradiction |
| Country | Name | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | Uppsala University Hospital - Akademiska sjukhuset | Uppsala | |
| Sweden | Uppsala University, Departement of Psychology | Uppsala |
| Lead Sponsor | Collaborator |
|---|---|
| Uppsala University |
Sweden,
| Type | Measure | Description | Time frame | Safety issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ) | SPQ is a self-rated questionnaire assessing fear of spiders. A high score in SPQ (>19) is required for inclusion in the study. | Recruitment | |
| Other | Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) | STAI-T is a self-rated questionnaire assessing trait anxiety and is included to describe the sample in terms of anxiety proneness. High scores indicate higher levels of trait anxiety (range, total score: 20 - 80) | Day 1 | |
| Other | Number of intrusive mental imagery of phobic stimuli | Number of intrusive mental images of phobic stimuli recorded by participants in a diary, daily (morning, afternoon, evening and night) for 7 days. This measure is included as a manipulation check. | 7 days, starting on day 1. | |
| Other | Demand questions | Two questions asking participants' to appreciate the emotional impact of producing mental imagery versus focusing on the verbal aspects of phobic situations used in the experimental procedure. This measure is included as a manipulation check. | Day 1 | |
| Other | The Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire (Psi-Q) | The Psi-Q is a self-rated measure of vividness of imagery across different sensory modalities. Higher scores indicate higher levels of vividness (range, total score 0 - 70). | Day 1 | |
| Primary | Blood oxygen level dependent contrast (BOLD-signal) | BOLD-signal is assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging. | Day 1 | |
| Primary | Physiological response during exposure to mental imagery | Skin-conductance responses are used as a measure of physiological response. | Day 1 | |
| Secondary | Physiological response during exposure to mental imagery | Skin-conductance responses are used as a measure of physiological response. | Follow-up (one week after day 1) | |
| Secondary | Differences in physiological response during exposure to mental imagery, during day 1 compared to the follow-up session. | Skin-conductance responses are used as a measure of physiological response. | Difference between day 1 and the follow-up session (one week after day 1) | |
| Secondary | Ratings of subjective fear participants' expect to experience during exposure to mental imagery | Scale: 0-100; no fear at all - extreme fear. | Day 1 | |
| Secondary | Ratings of subjective fear experienced during exposure to mental imagery | Scale: 0-100; no fear at all - extreme fear. Fear ratings are completed immediately after the imaginal exposure experimental procedure | Day 1 | |
| Secondary | Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) | STAI-S is a self-rated questionnaire included to assess state-anxiety experienced during exposure. High scores indicate high levels of state anxiety (range, total score: 20 - 80). | Day 1 | |
| Secondary | Differences in ratings of subjective fear during exposure to mental imagery, during day 1 compared to the follow-up session. | Scale: 0-100; no fear at all - extreme fear. | Difference between day 1 and the follow-up session (one week after day 1) | |
| Secondary | Vividness of mental imagery | Vividness of mental imagery of phobic stimuli (scale: 1-5; no image at all - image as clear and vivid as real life). | Day 1 | |
| Secondary | Vividness of mental imagery | Vividness of imagery of phobic stimuli (scale: 1-5; no image at all - image as clear and vivid as real life). | Follow-up (one week after day 1) | |
| Secondary | Differences in vividness of mental imagery, during day 1 compared to the follow-up session. | Vividness of imagery of phobic stimuli (scale: 1-5; no image at all - image as clear and vivid as real life). | Difference between day 1 and the follow-up session (one week after day 1) | |
| Secondary | Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) | DERS is a self-rated questionnaire, included to explore potential relations between imaginal exposure and difficulties in emotion regulation. High scores indicate more difficulties in emotion regulation (range, total score: 36 - 180) | Day 1 |