Can a Face-Reading computer task help understand anxiety?
NCT ID NCT04187326
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study looked at how people with high anxiety process emotional faces, since they often struggle to tell safe from threatening situations. Twenty-three young adults completed brain scans and some returned months later for a computer training task that teaches them to spot tiny changes in facial expressions. The goal was to understand visual system function, not to treat anxiety directly.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
Facial Microexpression Training (computer-based task)
What this could lead to
If successful, this research could point toward new therapies that train the visual system to better distinguish safe from threatening faces in people at risk for anxiety disorders.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early-stage study with only 23 participants, and the training task is exploratory. Results may not apply to everyone with anxiety, and the intervention is brief and limited.
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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Locations
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University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine
Worcester, Massachusetts, 01655, United States