Can Eye-Tracking and music make talk therapy work better for anxious kids?
NCT ID NCT06595953
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding a computer task called gaze-contingent music reward therapy (GCMRT) to standard cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps reduce anxiety in children aged 8 to 17. In GCMRT, children look at faces on a screen while pleasant music plays or stops depending on where they look. The goal is to train their attention away from threatening faces. 150 children with separation, generalized, or social anxiety disorder will receive CBT for 12 weeks, with GCMRT added in the last 8 weeks. The study compares active GCMRT (music stops when looking at negative faces) to a control version (music always plays).
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
Gaze-Contingent Music Reward Therapy (GCMRT) - a computer task where music plays or stops based on where a child looks at faces
What this could lead to
If it works, this could provide a new, non-drug way to boost the effectiveness of talk therapy for anxious children.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-stage trial with only 150 participants, so results may not apply to all children. The therapy is experimental and may not improve anxiety more than standard CBT alone.
Disclaimer
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the original study
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••