The Neurocircuitry of Relief During Avoidance Learning in Patients With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
NCT ID: NCT04685018
Last Updated: 2020-12-28
Study Results
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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UNKNOWN
40 participants
OBSERVATIONAL
2020-01-10
2022-05-01
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Improving ET+RP outcomes requires a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that drive excessive and persistent avoidance in OCD patients. Psychological theories ascribe an important role to the relief that follows avoidance when the anticipated threat is successfully averted. This positive feeling arguably functions as a reward to reinforce the foregoing avoidance actions. Indeed, fMRI studies have found that the neurocircuitry of relief overlaps with that of reward, including the ventral tegmental area, ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. Here, the authors will test the hypothesis that excessive-persistent avoidance is linked to exaggerated activation of the relief circuitry in OCD patients. For that purpose, we will acquire functional brain images of OCD patients in an MRI scanner and compare to healthy participants, while they participate in a computer task that is designed to model avoidance learning and relief.
Conditions
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Keywords
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Study Design
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CASE_CONTROL
PROSPECTIVE
Study Groups
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HC
Mentally and medically healthy adults between 18 and 60 years, free from any current or previous medical or psychiatric condition.
fMRI acquisition
Participants from the two groups will perform an avoidance-relief task inside an MRI scanner
OCD
Adults between 18 and 60 years, with a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and medication-free or with stable medication regimen for at least 3 weeks prior to the study.
fMRI acquisition
Participants from the two groups will perform an avoidance-relief task inside an MRI scanner
Interventions
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fMRI acquisition
Participants from the two groups will perform an avoidance-relief task inside an MRI scanner
Other Intervention Names
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Participants are motivated and give written informed consent;
* Adequate demand of Dutch language;
* Subjects have never participated in a fear conditioning task;
* Diagnosis of OCD (for OCD group only);
* Contraindications for the MRI exam.
Exclusion Criteria
* Being pregnant or lactating;
* Alcohol intake greater than 14 alcoholic units per week (one alcoholic unit = 10 gr ethanol);
* History of cannabis use or any other drug of abuse during the 3 months prior to the study;
* The medical doctor has asked to the participant to stay away from stressful situations;
* Electronic implants (e.g., pacemaker);
* Pain or other condition of the hand or the wrist.
18 Years
60 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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KU Leuven
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Bram Vervliet
Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Bram Vervliet
Locations
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Psychiatry | UZ Leuven campus Gasthuisberg
Leuven, , Belgium
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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Bram Vervliet, Prof. Dr.
Role: primary
Chris Bervoets, Prof. Dr.
Role: backup
References
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Vervliet B, Lange I, Milad MR. Temporal dynamics of relief in avoidance conditioning and fear extinction: Experimental validation and clinical relevance. Behav Res Ther. 2017 Sep;96:66-78. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.04.011. Epub 2017 Apr 23.
Milad MR, Furtak SC, Greenberg JL, Keshaviah A, Im JJ, Falkenstein MJ, Jenike M, Rauch SL, Wilhelm S. Deficits in conditioned fear extinction in obsessive-compulsive disorder and neurobiological changes in the fear circuit. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013 Jun;70(6):608-18; quiz 554. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.914.
Leknes S, Lee M, Berna C, Andersson J, Tracey I. Relief as a reward: hedonic and neural responses to safety from pain. PLoS One. 2011 Apr 7;6(4):e17870. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017870.
Gillan CM, Morein-Zamir S, Urcelay GP, Sule A, Voon V, Apergis-Schoute AM, Fineberg NA, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW. Enhanced avoidance habits in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2014 Apr 15;75(8):631-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.02.002. Epub 2013 Mar 16.
Other Identifiers
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bram vervliet
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id