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: Active Accrual Of New Subjects

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: Yes

Population Exclusion(s): Children

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Subjects must meet the following criteria:

Subjects must be 18-50 years of age.

Subjects must be in good physical health on the basis of medical history and physical examination.

Subjects must be able to understand procedures and agree to participate in the study by giving written informed consent.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

Subjects with clinically significant organ disease, e.g., cardiovascular, are not eligible.

Subjects with clinically significant abnormalities in physical examination are not eligible.

Subjects are not eligible with a history of any disease, which in the investigators' opinion may confound the results of the study. (Not limited to, history of organic mental disorders, seizure, or mental retardation).

Subjects with a current substance dependence are not eligible.

Subjects with a current Axis I psychiatric disorders as identified with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR axis disorders, non-patient edition (SCID-np) are not eligible.

Subjects with current psychotropic medication are not eligible.

Impaired hearing subjects defined as inability to hear a 40 dB(HL) pure tone in the 1000- to 4000 Hz span are not eligible.

Special Instructions: Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

Stress

Anxiety

Adults

Fear Conditioning

Normal Volunteers

Associative Learning

Virtual Reality

Context Conditioning

Recruitment Keywords:

Healthy Volunteer

HV

Normal Control

Fear Conditioning

Conditions:

Anxiety Disorder

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Contacts:

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

Citations:

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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Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 10/15/2004