NCT03346239

Effect of Attention Training or SSRIs on Symptoms and Neural Activation in Social Anxiety

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 105 (actual)
• Sponsor: Tel Aviv University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy and neuro-cognitive mechanisms of Gaze-Contingent Usic Reward Therapy for social anxiety disorder, compared with treatment with SSRIs or waitlist control.

Detailed description

Attention biases in threat processing have been assigned a prominent role in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving gaze-contingent feedback is an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder, compared to treatment with SSRI (Escitelopram) and a waitlist control. A secondary purpose is to explore the unique neuro-cognitive mechanisms of this treatment, using eye-tracking, MRI and fMRI measurements. Participants will be assessed using clinical interviews and self-rated questionnaires before, during and after 12 weeks of treatment or wait. Outcome measures will be social anxiety symptoms, as well as dwell time on threat in eye-tracking paradigms tested in previous studies, and BOLD signals in MRI measurements. Neuro-cognitive mechanisms will be explored as potential mediators of clinical efficacy.

Conditions

• Social Anxiety Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Gaze Contingent Music Reward Therapy	Feedback according to participants' viewing patterns, in order to modify their attention.
DRUG	Escitalopram	10-20 mg of Escitalopram
BEHAVIORAL	Waitlist	Participants will wait for 12 weeks while in touch with the clinic, then receive GC-MRT for 8 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-07-20
• Primary completion: 2021-12-01
• Completion: 2021-12-01
• First posted: 2017-11-17
• Last updated: 2022-02-01

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Israel