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NCT03907917 · ClinicalTrials.gov registry record · NA
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Fear Extinction
A NA study, sponsored by Thomas Adams.
- Completed
- Registry status
- NA
- Development phase
- 67
- Enrollment target
NCT03907917: Completed NA study, sponsored by Thomas Adams.
NCT03907917 is a NA study that has completed, run by Thomas Adams. The registered enrollment target is 67 participants, below the 1,404-participant average among 58,714 other NA trials with a reported enrollment target (95% lower). According to ClinicalTrials.gov, the official US trial registry.
The verdict
NCT03907917, a NA study, has completed, sponsored by Thomas Adams.
- COMPLETED
- Registry status
- NA
- Development phase
- 67 participants
- Enrollment target
Study Summary
Psychiatric disorders characterized by pathological fear and anxiety are common and often disabling. Despite their limitations, exposure therapies are among the most efficacious treatments for these disorders. Extinction learning is thought to be a core mechanism of therapeutic exposure. Extinction learning is mediated by a well-defined circuit encompassing the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, and hippocampus. This raises the exciting possibility that direct engagement of this circuitry might enhance the response to therapeutic exposure. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technology that can augment brain plasticity, learning, and memory. The proposed study will evaluate whether tDCS can engage extinction circuitry, and improve extinction learning and memory. This study will enroll psychiatrically healthy volunteers to test whether tDCS applied to the mPFC can augment spontaneous mPFC activity, engagement of extinction circuitry during extinction learning and recall, and classically-conditioned extinction learning and memory. Healthy volunteers will complete a standardized, three-day fear conditioning and extinction learning and memory task. On day 1, participants will complete a fear conditioning task. On day 2, participants will receive sham (placebo) or active tDCS prior to completing a fear extinction learning task. On day 3, participants will complete an extinction recall task. Electrodermal activity and heart rate will be continuously monitored during the conditioning and extinction procedures to assess autonomic arousal. All procedures will be completed in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner; imaging data will be collected before and after tDCS and during all conditioning and extinction procedures.
Primary Outcome
fALFF is a measure of resting brain activity that is derived by calculating regionally-specific fluctuations in Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent (BOLD) activation within a low-frequency band, typically while the participant is at rest.
Interventions
- DEVICE tDCS
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 67 participants |
| Start Date | 2019-04-09 |
| Est. Completion | 2023-06-01 |
| Phase | NA |
What the finished NCT03907917 record still lists
NCT03907917 is an interventional study that assigns participants to a tested intervention. The registry caps enrollment at 67 participants, a relatively small participant target, below the 1,404-participant average among 58,714 other NA trials with a reported enrollment target (95% lower).
The record links to 0 conditions, and to 1 intervention - of which tDCS is the first listed.
NCT03907917 does not publish any study locations in the registry export this page uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT03907917 about?
NCT03907917 is a clinical study titled "Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Fear Extinction". Psychiatric disorders characterized by pathological fear and anxiety are common and often disabling. Despite their limitations, exposure therapies are among the most efficacious treatments for these disorders. Extinction learning is thought to be a core mechanism of therapeutic exposure. Extinction ...
What is the current status of trial NCT03907917?
This trial is currently completed. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 67 participants. The study started on 2019-04-09. Estimated completion is 2023-06-01.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT03907917?
The interventions under investigation include: tDCS (DEVICE).
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT03907917?
This trial is sponsored by Thomas Adams, which has 2 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Learn More About Clinical Trials
How this trial's enrollment target compares
Where NCT03907917's enrollment target sits among peer trials
67 1139th of 2000 higher than 862 of 2,000 other NA trials
participants (enrollment target), bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more other NA trials. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source ClinicalTrials.gov registry export · 2026-08-08
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