Unconscious Reduction of Fear Through Decoded Neuro-Reinforcement
Who can join
Ages 18 to 65 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Individual has normal or corrected to normal vision 2. Individual has normal or corrected to normal hearing 3. Individual is competent to understand informed consent 4. Individual must meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for specific phobias, animal subtype Exclusion Criteria: 1. Individual is unable to fill in consent form correctly 2. Individual is unable to respond adequately to screening questions 3. Individual is unable to maintain focus or to sit during assessment 4. Individual has history of: neurological disease or defect (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia or other psychological disorders, or seizures) Individual has vision problems (including cataracts, amblyopia, or glaucoma) Individual presents with: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Psychosis, neurologic diagnoses or unstable serious medical conditions 5. Participant receives an elevated score on the PHQ-9 6. Individual does not present with more than one object of specific phobia 7. Individual can touch the phobic object category during the pre-treatment Behavioral Approach Test without presenting significant distress 8. Individual is currently prescribed psychotropic medication
About the study
This application investigates the efficacy of a novel method of neuro-reinforcement based on decoded fMRI activity to reduce fear responses in individuals with phobias (e.g., spiders, snakes). This method works unconsciously in the brain, without the need for participants to endure repeated conscious exposures to their feared stimuli. Fear-related disorders such as specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other anxiety disorders present a major challenge, as effective treatment options usually involve repeated exposures to feared stimuli, leading to high levels of distress, fear, and panic that can motivate premature treatment termination. Consequently, there is an unmet need for treatment that minimizes subjective discomfort and attrition in order to maximize efficacy. Recent developments in computational neuroimaging have enabled a method that can deliver unconscious exposure to feared stimuli, resulting in effective fear reduction while bypassing a primary cause of treatment attrition. Because this treatment method happens unconsciously in the brain, changes in behavior outcomes are potentially more likely to generalize to different contexts, thereby overcoming a limitation of traditional treatments.
What is being tested
- Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement (behavioral)
- Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement (behavioral)
- Unconscious Neuro-reinforcement (behavioral)
Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles · Participants: 60 · Started: Sep 9, 2024
Contact the study team
- Gabriel J Fiol, B.A. · Phone: 7252228834
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06420557
Locations in the U.S.
| California | University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Nov 15, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.