NCT05396677

The Effects of Acetaminophen on Fear

Behavioral Consequences of Blunting Fear With Acetaminophen

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 266 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Guelph · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study investigates the effects of acetaminophen on behavioral, physiological, and self-report fear responses.

Detailed description

As acetaminophen blunts the experience of physical, social, and empathic pain, it is important to investigate whether there are other aversive states that the drug also provides relief from. If there are others, this may suggest overlapping mechanisms involved in these affective evaluations, all of which are interrupted by acetaminophen. The emotion of fear is aversive, yet it is distinct from both physical and social pain. The present study will investigate the effects of acetaminophen on the subjective experience of fear as well as its behavioral outcomes. While blocking adaptive behavioral responses to fear could potentially be problematic in some dangerous situations, it may also be helpful for those with anxiety-related disorders. If individuals on acetaminophen can step farther away from safety on a virtual plank 80 stories above the ground, then perhaps acetaminophen can allow anxious individuals to step farther from their comfort zone in real life. Importantly, if acetaminophen blunts the fear response, this would mean that the drug blocks aversive feelings beyond emotional and physical pain. The extent of its effects will warrant further investigation for a greater understanding of emotional evaluations.

Conditions

• Fear

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Acetaminophen	2 x 500 mg acetaminophen (one time)
OTHER	Placebo	2 x 500 mg microcrystalline cellulose (one time)

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-03-30
• Primary completion: 2023-06-12
• Completion: 2023-06-12
• First posted: 2022-05-31
• Last updated: 2024-09-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada