Brain scans may reveal how kids respond to anxiety treatment
NCT ID NCT00018057
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 3,500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2001
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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8 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
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University of Maryland, College Park
RECRUITINGCollege Park, Maryland, 20742, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to treat patients with severe and resistant obsessive compulsive disorder
- Targeting the brain's reward system: a new test for depression treatment
- Can brain activity reveal why some people with depression lose motivation and pleasure?
- Can a new Under-the-Tongue drug offer lasting relief for Treatment-Resistant anxiety?
- Can magnetic pulses ease OCD in teens who Haven't improved?
- Can a focused electric field quiet the Brain's obsessive signals?