Very Brief Exposure: Development of a Novel Exposure Modality for Social Anxiety Disorder in Transition-Age Youth

Launched by CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES · Jul 25, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at a new way to help young people aged 16 to 22 who struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). The researchers want to understand how very brief exposure (VBE) to social situations, like seeing different facial expressions, affects the brain. By using MRI scans, they will measure how certain areas of the brain respond to these social cues and how the participants feel about them. The goal is to create a new treatment approach for SAD based on these findings.

To participate, individuals need to be between 16 and 22 years old and have a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder. Participants will engage in interviews and view images while in the MRI scanner, rating their fear responses. It's important to note that those with certain medical conditions, active suicidal thoughts, or specific mental health disorders will not be eligible. This study is currently recruiting, and both participants and their parents can communicate in English or Spanish.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patient Population
• • Males and females aged 16-22. This age range corresponds with our prior studies of very brief exposure (VBE) in Specific Phobia and will include older adolescents while minimizing potential developmental effects on circuit activation.
• • Youth with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) on Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children, Computerized version (K-SADS-COMP) for youth ages 16-17, or the computerized version of Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (NetSCID) for youth ages 18+.
• • Healthy Population
• • • Male and female youth aged 16-22.
• • Parents • Parent/caregiver of all ages, no restrictions who are fluent in either English or Spanish.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patient Population
• • Primary language other than English or Spanish.
• • Active suicidality on the Colombia-Suicide Severity Scale (plan, intent, or behavior)
• • Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker), metal braces, retainers, tattoos or permanent make-up with metallic content, transdermal medicinal patches that cannot be removed.
• • Current psychoactive medication.
• • Lifetime diagnosis of: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), psychotic, bipolar, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability on the KSADS-COMP or NetSCID.
• • Any serious neurological or medical conditions (e.g., Lupus, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+)) as reported by potential participants.
• • Current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.
• • Current severe substance abuse (except tobacco/nicotine).
• • Pregnancy, as determined by the participant's self-report prior to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
• • Healthy Population
• • Primary language other than English or Spanish.
• • Lifetime disorders: any anxiety disorders, OCD, psychotic, bipolar, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability; any psychiatric disorder in the past 2 years
• • Current depression disorder.
• • Active psychiatric disorder in the past 2 years.
• • Serious neurological or medical conditions.
• • Current psychoactive medication.
• • Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker), metal braces, retainers, tattoos or permanent make-up with metallic content, transdermal medicinal patches that cannot be removed.
• • Active suicidality on the Colombia-Suicide Severity Scale (plan, intent, or behavior).
• • Pregnancy, as determined by the participant's self-report prior to the MRI scan.
• • Parents • Primary language other than English or Spanish.