NCT03918577

Caloric Vestibular Stimulation for Modulation of Insight in Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 16 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Stanford University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study investigates whether caloric vestibular stimulation can modulate a measure of insight in obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.

Detailed description

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD), including obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, are chronic and disabling conditions characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts and associated compulsive behaviors that affect millions of individuals in the US each year. Individuals affected by OCRD differ in insight, or the degree to which they understand their intrusive thoughts to reflect illness. Impairments in insight limit individuals' motivation to engage in care and predict worse outcome in those who access treatment. This study seeks to explore whether unilateral stimulation of the vestibular system, which activates cortical areas hypothesized to underlie clinical insight, may beneficially modulate insight in individuals with OCRD.

Conditions

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Body Dysmorphic Disorders
• Illness Anxiety Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Caloric Vestibular Stimulation	Cold water creates a convection current in the semicircular canal of the vestibular apparatus, leading to brief (\<3 min) and typically well tolerated sense of rotational movement. Similar stimulation is routinely used in standard vestibular diagnostic testing.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-10
• Primary completion: 2026-12-30
• Completion: 2026-12-30
• First posted: 2019-04-17
• Last updated: 2026-01-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States