Brain training for anxious kids: a 45-minute computer session may alter error responses

NCT ID NCT05503017

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Florida State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jul 01, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looks at how the brains of children aged 9 to 12 with anxiety disorders respond to making mistakes. Researchers measure two types of brain activity: one after an error and one after a balance disturbance. Half of the children will use a 45-minute computer program designed to reduce sensitivity to errors, while the other half will use a different computer program. The goal is to see if the program changes both brain responses, which could help develop new ways to prevent or treat childhood anxiety.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: computerized psychosocial intervention targeting error sensitivity
What this could lead to: If successful, this could point toward new ways to prevent or treat anxiety disorders in children by targeting brain responses to mistakes.
What could go wrong: This is an early-stage study with a small sample size. The intervention is very brief (45 minutes), and it is unclear if any changes in brain activity will lead to lasting clinical benefits.

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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

248 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2022

Finished

Jul 2025

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

9 to 12 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: * English-speaking child * Must be able to stand for 15 minutes without assistance * Anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder) Exclusion Criteria: * Depression or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder * Significant medical condition, developmental disorder, or physical disability affecting the ability to stand * Severe psychopathology (e.g., bipolar disorder, psychosis, thought disorder, neurological disease, severe or extreme suicide risk) * Head injuries (over the past three months) that resulted in a loss of consciousness * Absence of an English-speaking primary caregiver that can accompany the child to the laboratory visit.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anxiety disorder generalized anxiety disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder social phobia

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Anxiety disorders Generalized anxiety disorder Obsessive compulsive disorder Social anxiety disorder

Brain training for anxious kids: a 45-minute computer session may alter error responses

What the study statuses mean