Efficacy of tDCS to Enhance Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Response in Acrophobia

Shanghai Mental Health Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Acrophobia

Treatments: Behavioral: virtual reality exposure therapy; Device: tDCS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05841329

SMHC-VR-001

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) can enhance the effect of virtual reality exposure therapy(VRET) in acrophobia in college students with significant fear of heights. The main question it aims to answer are:

• the enhancement of tDCS on the effect of VRET Participants will randomly allocated to tDCS active stimulated group and sham stimulated group and receive VRET.

Enrollment: 64 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• the score of the AQ-Anxiety had to be at least 45.45(1SD below the mean of a previous acrophobia sample(Cohen, 1977));
• the participants had the avoidance behaviors in daily life and recognized the fear of height was excessive and unnecessary (the severity of fear of heights not less than 5 points at a scale from 0 to 10).

Exclusion criteria

• previous treatment for acrophobia, history or family history of any mental disorder (except for acrophobia), metal parts in the head, medical implants, increased intracranial pressure, pregnancy, current involvement in psycho- or pharmacotherapy, and cardiovascular or neurological diseases.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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64 participants in 2 patient groups

active group

Active Comparator group

Description:

receive active tDCS before VRET

Treatment:

Device: tDCS

Behavioral: virtual reality exposure therapy

sham group

Sham Comparator group

Description:

receive sham tDCS before VRET

Treatment:

Behavioral: virtual reality exposure therapy