Phobias Clinical Trial
Official title:
The Effect of Intravenous Anesthetics on Fear Learning and Memory
People often develop fearful responses to things, but have no conscious control over the
fear. This is a basic form of unconscious memory, called "fear conditioning." Intravenous
anesthetic drugs have remarkable effects on conscious memory, but it is unknown whether they
have similar effects on these unconscious fear memories.
To address this question, the investigators will study 114 healthy adult volunteer subjects.
The subject is given a very low dose of an anesthetic drug intravenously (i.e. through the
bloodstream). The dose is so low that the subject might not even be able tell if they are
getting the drug. While they are receiving the drug, the subject will perform a series of
memory tests and a fear conditioning experiment, which are set up like a very simple computer
game. To create the "fear response", subjects will occasionally receive a mildly
uncomfortable shock to their arm. The subject is able to determine the highest level of shock
that they will receive.
The investigators are doing this study because the investigators wish to know exactly how the
drugs affect the way people process fear and emotion. This knowledge might one day be used in
the treatment of some psychiatric disorders.
People often develop fearful responses to things, but have no conscious control over the fear
(e.g. phobias). This is a basic form of unconscious memory, called "fear conditioning."
Intravenous anesthetic drugs have remarkable effects on conscious memory, but it is unknown
whether they have similar effects on these unconscious fear memories.
To address this question, the investigators will study 114 healthy adult volunteer subjects.
The subject is given a very low dose of an anesthetic drug intravenously (i.e. through the
bloodstream). The dose is so low that the subject might not even be able tell if they are
getting the drug. While they are receiving the drug, the subject will perform a series of
memory tests and a fear conditioning experiment, which are set up like a very simple computer
game. To create the "fear response", subjects will occasionally receive a mildly
uncomfortable shock to their arm. The subject is able to determine the highest level of shock
that they will receive.
The investigators are doing this study because the investigators wish to know exactly how the
drugs affect the way people process fear and emotion. This knowledge might one day be used in
the treatment of some psychiatric disorders.
;
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed |
NCT00591825 -
fMRI Study Examining Effects of D-cycloserine in Specific Phobia
|
Phase 2 | |
| Terminated |
NCT01574014 -
Glucocorticoid Treatment for Social Phobia
|
Phase 2 | |
| Recruiting |
NCT00801970 -
Fear of Childbirth (Tokophobia) - Etiology, Essence and Clinical Implications
|
N/A | |
| Completed |
NCT04620447 -
Intelligent Virtual Reality Therapy System and Testing Its Clinical Efficacy
|
Phase 1/Phase 2 | |
| Completed |
NCT02926352 -
Effects of Low-Level Laser Stimulation With and Without Fear Extinction Training
|
Phase 1/Phase 2 |