Brain scans may reveal how kids respond to anxiety treatment

NCT ID NCT00018057

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
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 Results may not be published yet.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)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
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

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 16 times

Summary

This study looks at how the brains of children with anxiety disorders work differently from healthy children. Researchers will use brain scans and thinking tasks to track changes over a year, before and after standard treatments like therapy or medication. The goal is to find patterns that predict which treatment works best for each child.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Attention Bias Modification Training
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help identify which children are most likely to benefit from specific anxiety treatments, leading to more personalized care.
What could go wrong
This is an early-phase study focused on understanding brain changes, not on proving a new treatment works. The results may not directly improve care for years, if at all.

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

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

About 3,500 people

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

Started

Oct 2001

Expected to finish

Jan 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government research agency

The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.

Who can take part

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

Ages

8 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: ALL JUVENILE SUBJECTS * Age: 8-17 (subjects who consent as 17-year-olds but turn 18 during the course of the study will be eligible to complete all procedures completed by other subjects who consent as 17-year-olds but do not turn 18). * Consent: can give consent/assent (Parents will provide consent; minors will provide assent) * IQ: all subjects will have IQ\>70 (Assessment relies on either a WASI or assessment by trained clinical staff during the subject s screening visit. Completion of required activities during the screening visit requires an IQ above 70.) * Language: all subjects will speak English (Tasks in this protocol have not been validated in languages other than English) ALL ADULT SUBJECTS * Age: 18-65 * Consent: can give consent * IQ: all subjects will have IQ\>70 (Assessment relies on either a WASI or assessment by trained clinical staff during the subject s screening visit. Completion of required activities during the screening visit requires an IQ above 70.) * Language: all subjects will speak English (Tasks in this protocol have not been validated in languages other than English) ALL SUBJECTS WITH AN ANXIETY DISORDER * Diagnosis: Current Diagnosis of OCD, Social Phobia, Separation Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Panic Disorder (Based on K-SADS (juveniles) or SCID (adults)) * Symptom Severity: Clinically significant, ongoing anxiety symptoms (This will be documented by clinician review with patients and their families during at least two visits with families.) * Clinical Impairment: Clinically significant, ongoing distress or impairment from anxiety (This will be documented by clinician review with patients and their families during at least two visits with families.) ALL PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED ADOLESCENT PATIENTS, CHILD AND ADULT HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS, AND ALL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS TURNED PATIENTS * Diagnosis: Current Diagnosis of OCD, Social Phobia, Separation Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Panic Disorder; No current diagnosis (Based on K-SADS (juveniles) or SCID (adults)) * Clinical Impairment (as applicable): Clinically significant, ongoing symptoms (This will be documented by clinician review with patients and their families during at least two visits with families.) * Symptom Severity (as applicable): Clinically significant, ongoing symptoms (This will be documented by clinician review with patients and their families during at least two visits with families.) EXCLUSION CRITERIA: ALL SUBJECTS * Any serious medical condition or condition that interferes with fMRI or M/EEG scanning, and for patients electing medication, any condition that increases risk of SSRI treatment. (All patients will complete a medical history. Healthy volunteer participants will be medication- free and have no current serious medical conditions, based on a review of their medical history. Subjects only will be excluded from the MRI portions of the study based on this exclusion criterion.) * Pregnancy (Subjects only will be excluded from the MRI portions of the study based on this exclusion criterion.) * Current use of any psychoactive substance; current suicidal ideation as indicated by the presence of intent for engaging in suicidal behaviors; current diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) of sufficient severity to require pharmacotherapy. (These factors could complicate treatment with an SSRI. No subject on medication will be accepted into the trial. Subjects will not be taken off of medications to enter the trial.) * Current diagnoses, major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic distress disorder, conduct disorder. (These factors may be affected by SSRI treatment, influencing ability to detect effects on anxiety/symptoms of depression. Of note, subjects who present with a diagnosis of MDD will not be eligible for inclusion at the outset of the study. However, youth with anxiety disorders frequently develop MDD when followed over time. Subjects will be allowed to remain in the study if they develop these diagnoses after enrollment.) * Past or current history of mania, psychosis, or severe pervasive developmental disorder. (These factors may be affected by SSRI treatment, influencing ability to detect effects on anxiety/symptoms of depression. Of note, subjects who present with a diagnosis of MDD will not be eligible for inclusion at the outset of the study. However, youth with anxiety disorders frequently develop MDD when followed over time. Subjects will be allowed to remain in the study if they develop these diagnoses after enrollment.) * Recent use of an SSRI with failure to respond or tolerate SSRI treatment at an adequate dose and duration. (This is designed to exclude subjects who have failed a trial of an SSRI for their current problem with anxiety. For previously enrolled participants, including patients and healthy volunteers, current use of an SSRI does not exclude participation from follow-up research tasks.) * History of any (excepting nicotine-related and cannabis-related) DSM5-defined moderate to severe substance use disorder (or DSM-IV-defined substance dependence). HEALTHY ADULT SUBJECTS -Any current psychiatric diagnosis (Assessment relies on SCID)

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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.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

    RECRUITING

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

  • University of Maryland, College Park

    RECRUITING

    College Park, Maryland, 20742, United States

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