Spatial Context and Fear Learning

Study Summary

Background: \- Fear is a normal response to a threat. Learning fear can be helpful sometimes. For people with anxiety disorders, fear can be long-lasting and too intense. Researchers want to study how people become fearful of situations. They want to understand how the brain learns when it is helpful to feel fear and when it is not. Objective: \- To better understand brain processes related to fear and anxiety. Eligibility: * Right-handed adults ages 18 50 with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. * Right handed volunteers ages 18-50 without psychiatric disorders. * And free of psychiatric medication for 2 weeks Design: * Participants will first be screened under another protocol. * Participants will play a video game inside a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The scanner is a metal cylinder It is surrounded by a strong magnetic field. Participants will lie on a table that can slide in and out of the scanner. A device called a coil will be placed over the head. * During the scan, participants may play a virtual reality video game. Game instructions will be explained before they enter the scanner. * While playing the game, participants will wear 2 electrodes on their fingers. These measure sweat on the skin. They will also have 2 small electrodes attached to the left hand. These can give brief mild electrical shocks. * Participants will be asked questions when playing the game during the scan. * Before and after the scan, participants will fill out questionnaires about their emotions. They may complete questionnaires online while at the clinic.