Protocol Number: 02-M-0003

Title:

Fear Conditioning Using Computer-Generated Virtual Reality

Number:

02-M-0003

Summary:

The purpose of this study is to use a computer-generated virtual reality environment to study fear conditioning. Fear conditioning is used to explore the causes and persistence of anxiety and anxiety disorders.

When confronted with fearful or unpleasant events, people can develop fear of specific cues that were associated with these events as well as to the environmental context in which the events occurred via a process called classical or aversive conditioning. Advances in computer-generated visual stimulations could facilitate the design of new aversive conditioning studies. This study will develop a virtual reality environment to examine human contextual fear conditioning in the laboratory. During the procedure, moderately painful stimuli will be administered. Participants in this study will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, psychiatric evaluation, and hearing test. Participants will wear headphones and special goggles that will enable them to view a virtual reality environment. Measures will be taken during the study to see how the brain adapts to environmental stimuli.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Participants currently recruited/enrolled

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: Yes

Population Exclusion(s): Children

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Subjects will be healthy volunteers ages 7-50 recruited through advertisements in the local media.

Subjects will be free of current or past psychotic disorder and organic central nervous system disorders. All children will be screened for lifetime history of psychiatric disorders using the K-SADS Interview. The interview will be administered by a trained clinician (at least master level) supervised by Dr. Pine. The children/adolescents will be able to give assent and parents will give consent.

They will have an IQ greater than 70 based on WASI.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Ongoing medical illness that could interfere with the study; Current psychiatric or neurological disorder (including seizure); Past psychotic disorder; Current substance abuse; Current psychotropic medication; impaired hearing, pregnancy.

Special Instructions:

Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

Stress

Anxiety

Adults

Fear Conditioning

Normal Volunteers

Associative Learning

Virtual Reality

Context Conditioning

Recruitment Keyword(s):

Healthy Volunteer

HV

Normal Control

Fear Conditioning

Condition(s):

Anxiety Disorder

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Intervention(s):

None

Supporting Site:

National Institute of Mental Health

Contact(s):

Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office
Building 61
10 Cloister Court
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4754
Toll Free: 1-800-411-1222
TTY: 301-594-9774 (local),1-866-411-1010 (toll free)
Fax: 301-480-9793

Electronic Mail:prpl@mail.cc.nih.gov

Citation(s):

Fear-potentiated startle conditioning in humans: explicit and contextual cue conditioning following paired versusunpaired training

Fear-potentiated startle in humans: effects of anticipatory anxiety on the acoustic blink reflex

Baseline and fear-potentiated startle in panic disorder patients

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 09/17/2008