Can a Split-Second glance at a scary face cure social anxiety?
NCT ID NCT06526260
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 30, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study explores whether showing youth with social anxiety disorder very brief, almost invisible images of judgmental faces can help rewire their brain's fear response. Eighty participants aged 16-22 will undergo brain scans while viewing these micro-exposures, and rate their fear. The goal is to understand brain circuits involved and develop a novel, rapid treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Very brief exposure to facial expressions (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a new, quick treatment for social anxiety that works without conscious awareness of the trigger.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase study with only 80 participants, focused on brain activity rather than symptom relief. The approach may not reduce anxiety in real-world settings.
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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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
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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16 to 22 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient Population * Males and females aged 16-22. This age range corresponds with our prior studies of very brief exposure (VBE) in Specific Phobia and will include older adolescents while minimizing potential developmental effects on circuit activation. * Youth with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) on Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children, Computerized version (K-SADS-COMP) for youth ages 16-17, or the computerized version of Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-5 (NetSCID) for youth ages 18+. * Healthy Population • Male and female youth aged 16-22. * Parents • Parent/caregiver of all ages, no restrictions who are fluent in either English or Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: * Patient Population * Primary language other than English or Spanish. * Active suicidality on the Colombia-Suicide Severity Scale (plan, intent, or behavior) * Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker), metal braces, retainers, tattoos or permanent make-up with metallic content, transdermal medicinal patches that cannot be removed. * Current psychoactive medication. * Lifetime diagnosis of: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), psychotic, bipolar, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability on the KSADS-COMP or NetSCID. * Any serious neurological or medical conditions (e.g., Lupus, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+)) as reported by potential participants. * Current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. * Current severe substance abuse (except tobacco/nicotine). * Pregnancy, as determined by the participant's self-report prior to the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. * Healthy Population * Primary language other than English or Spanish. * Lifetime disorders: any anxiety disorders, OCD, psychotic, bipolar, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability; any psychiatric disorder in the past 2 years * Current depression disorder. * Active psychiatric disorder in the past 2 years. * Serious neurological or medical conditions. * Current psychoactive medication. * Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker), metal braces, retainers, tattoos or permanent make-up with metallic content, transdermal medicinal patches that cannot be removed. * Active suicidality on the Colombia-Suicide Severity Scale (plan, intent, or behavior). * Pregnancy, as determined by the participant's self-report prior to the MRI scan. * Parents • Primary language other than English or Spanish.
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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
1 site. 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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Children's Hospital Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90027, United States
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