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Brain training before facing fears may boost anxiety therapy

NCT ID NCT07805070

Disease control Sponsor: University of California, San Diego Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
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Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
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Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
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Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
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The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
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Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

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Status unknown
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First seen Sep 04, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026

Summary

Researchers at UC San Diego are testing whether a computer-based working memory training session, done right before a brief exposure exercise, can improve fear extinction learning in adults with social anxiety disorder. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the working memory training or a sham version, followed by a public speaking exposure task. The study measures fear extinction through self-report, physiological, and neural markers. If the training enhances extinction, it could lead to a simple, low-cost addition to exposure therapy.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Computer-based working memory training
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a low-cost, drug-free way to boost the effectiveness of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage trial with a single-session exposure paradigm, so results may not translate to real-world therapy. The training may not enhance fear extinction as hoped.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 120 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jan 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Sep 2031

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. age 18-65 2. fluent in English 3. diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (generalized or performance-only) with Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) score of ≥120 at screening 4. 6-week stability if receiving other (non-anxiety focused) psychosocial treatment Exclusion Criteria: 1. past 3-mo diagnosis of moderate or greater alcohol or substance use disorder 2. lifetime history of psychotic or bipolar I disorders 3. acute suicidality necessitating immediate clinical intervention 4. neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental disorders 5. history of neurological condition 6. conditions that are unsafe for MRI (e.g., metal in body) 7. currently receiving psychosocial treatment for anxiety or related condition 8. currently receiving psychiatric pharmacotherapy

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety anxiety disorder social phobia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Anxiety Fear extinction

How to take part

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