Efficacy of Targeted Memory Reactivation for Enhancing Exposure Therapy

NCT ID: NCT04663672

Last Updated: 2020-12-11

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

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

158 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-01-29

Study Completion Date

2020-03-01

Brief Summary

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This study evaluates whether a scent applied during exposure therapy and during subsequent sleep will increase the durability of treatment effects for individuals with fear of spiders, contamination, and enclosed spaces.

Detailed Description

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Newly acquired memories encoded during wakefulness are spontaneously re-activated during sleep, resulting in synaptic potentiation and strengthening of the re-activated traces. Targeted memory reactivation (TMR) typically involves a period of initial learning in the presence of an olfactory or auditory contextual cue, coupled with later presentation of the cue during sleep to ostensibly facilitate memory reactivation and consolidation. Numerous studies have found evidence of improved task performance subsequent to cue-induced neuronal replay, however application of TMR to treatment of naturally acquired, clinically significant fear has been limited.

The present study will will provide a rigorous test of TMR's efficacy as an augmentative strategy for exposure therapy. It is hypothesized that participants who sleep in the presence of the same odor that they are exposed to during exposure therapy will exhibit reduced fear at follow up, relative to participants who sleep in the presence of a different odor, or a non-odorous control.

Conditions

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Claustrophobia Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Arachnophobia

Keywords

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Targeted Memory Reactivation Memory Consolidation Exposure Therapy Sleep

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Exposure Therapy + Exposure Scent Cue During Sleep

Participants will undergo exposure treatment for their target fear while in the presence of a distinctive odor. Exposure will occur in repeated 4-minute trials. Exposure will continue for 40 minutes or until peak fear decreases by at least 35 points on a 100 point scale, compared to peak fear during the initial trial. Participants will subsequently sleep in the presence of the exposure scent.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental Scent

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will sleep in the presence of the exposure scent, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

In-Vivo Exposure

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive 40 minutes of in-vivo exposure therapy to feared targets in the presence of a distinctive exposure scent.

Exposure Therapy + Novel Scent During Sleep

Participants will undergo exposure treatment for their target fear while in the presence of a distinctive odor. Exposure will occur in repeated 4-minute trials. Exposure will continue for 40 minutes or until peak fear decreases by at least 35 points on a 100 point scale, compared to peak fear during the initial trial. Participants will subsequently sleep in the presence of a novel scent.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Control Scent

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will sleep in the presence of a novel scent, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

In-Vivo Exposure

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive 40 minutes of in-vivo exposure therapy to feared targets in the presence of a distinctive exposure scent.

Exposure Therapy + No-Scent Control During Sleep

Participants will undergo exposure treatment for their target fear while in the presence of a distinctive odor. Exposure will occur in repeated 4-minute trials. Exposure will continue for 40 minutes or until peak fear decreases by at least 35 points on a 100 point scale, compared to peak fear during the initial trial. Participants will subsequently sleep in the presence of an odorless control vehicle.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

No-Scent Control

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will sleep in the presence of an odorless control vehicle, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

In-Vivo Exposure

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive 40 minutes of in-vivo exposure therapy to feared targets in the presence of a distinctive exposure scent.

Interventions

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Experimental Scent

Participants will sleep in the presence of the exposure scent, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

Intervention Type OTHER

Control Scent

Participants will sleep in the presence of a novel scent, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

Intervention Type OTHER

No-Scent Control

Participants will sleep in the presence of an odorless control vehicle, delivered by an Airwick Essential Oils diffuser

Intervention Type OTHER

In-Vivo Exposure

Participants will receive 40 minutes of in-vivo exposure therapy to feared targets in the presence of a distinctive exposure scent.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Marked anxiety in at least one fear domain (spiders, contamination, or enclosed spaces), as determined by the presence of both:

1. self-reported peak anxiety of at least 50 on a 100 point scale in response to two behavioral approach tasks
2. self-report measures meeting the following cutoffs for the target fear:
* Fear of Spiders Questionnaire ≥ 50
* Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (Washing Subscale) ≥ 4
* Claustrophobia Screener ≥ 2

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosed sleep disorder
* Current sleep medication usage
* Inability to differentiate two different odors from an indoor scent diffuser
* Current psychotherapy for fear of spiders, snakes, enclosed spaces, or contamination
* Current use of air fresheners, scented candles, or other items with odors related to those used in the study
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Texas at Austin

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Michael J. Telch

Prinicipal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders, University of Texas at Austin

Austin, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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2018-09-0058

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id