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

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

60 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-02-25

Study Completion Date

2019-10-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

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.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Imagery Rescripting Treatment In Veterans With Trauma-Related Nightmares And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

NCT00837109

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Sleep Disorders

TERMINATED NA

Psychiatric Inpatient Nightmare Treatment

NCT04198142

Nightmare Psychiatric Disorder

UNKNOWN NA

Mental Imagery and Targeted Memory Reactivation in PTSD

NCT05933109

Nightmares, REM-Sleep Type PTSD

UNKNOWN NA

Treating Nightmares Among Domiciliary Patients

NCT04341987

Nightmare

WITHDRAWN NA

Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Sleep Disturbance

NCT00108628

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

COMPLETED NA

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The study takes part over three consecutive days, with fear conditioning to visual stimuli on day 1, imaginal extinction on day 2, and a fear reinstatement procedure, again to visual stimuli, on day 3. Skin conductance is used to measure fear responses.

Participants' are randomized to receive conditioning, extinction and reinstatement with either complex or simple stimuli. During imaginal extinction, imagery of each experimental stimulus is prompted through different verbal instructions.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Healthy Subjects

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Simple stimuli

Two perceptually simple stimuli are used during all experimental phases (geometrical figures).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Fear acquisition

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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).

Imaginal extinction

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Reinstatement

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Complex stimuli

Two complex stimuli are used in all experimental phases. Stimuli consist of photographs of real objects of the same size and shape as the simple stimuli, but include perceptually more complex patterns, details and colors.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Fear acquisition

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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).

Imaginal extinction

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Reinstatement

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

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.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

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).

Intervention Type 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.

Intervention Type 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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

Age 18 or over

Fluent in Swedish

Willing and able to provide informed consent and complete study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

Current psychiatric disorder

Use of psychotropic medication within 6 months prior to study start

Receiving psychological treatment within 6 months prior to study start

Current neurological condition

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes