Neural Activations During Imaginal Exposure in Individuals Fearful of Spiders

Uppsala University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Individuals With Fear of Spiders

Treatments: Behavioral: Imaginal exposure

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03969160

2017/419

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study explores the brain basis of imaginal exposure, a widely used psychological treatment technique. Specifically, this study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain areas activated during imaginal exposure, in individuals fearful of spiders. Physiological responses and subjective fear experienced during imaginal exposure are also assessed.

The primary aim of this study is to explore differences in neural activity during exposure to phobic, compared to neutral, mental imagery. The study will focus primarily on exploratory whole brain analyses, but will also include regions of interest analyses on brain areas previously associated with imaginal exposure. The experimental procedure consists of repeated exposure to mental imagery, i.e. imagery of short durations, including either highly emotion-provoking or neutral content, prompted by verbal instructions. A secondary aim is to explore the effects of repeated exposure to mental imagery, used during the experimental procedure, on subjective fear and physiological responses.

Full description

Results will elucidate if neural activity to phobic imagery differs from activity associated with the production of mental imagery per se. Findings will also increase our general understanding of the neural basis of imaginal exposure treatments.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Significant fear of spiders

Exclusion criteria

• Current psychiatric disorder other than spider phobia
• Substance abuse
• Neurological disease
• Psychological treatment or psychotropic medication within six months
• Magnetic resonance imaging contradiction

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Imaginal exposure

Experimental group

Description:

The experimental procedure consists of imaginal exposure to mental imagery of phobic and neutral stimuli, prompted through recorded verbal instructions. Participants' repeat the experimental procedure one week later in a follow-up session. Brain imaging data is only collected during day 1

Treatment:

Behavioral: Imaginal exposure