Using brain imaging to evaluate the effects of anxiety medication in patients with social anxiety disorder

Mechanisms of action of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder: a randomised neuroimaging trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN98890605

Enrollment

Registered

2014-03-17

Start date

2014-03-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2017-11-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) Mental and Behavioural Disorders Social anxiety disorder

Interventions

Patients with social anxiety disorder will be randomised into one of two treatment conditions: Escitalopram 20 mg or active placebo. All other therapies will be avoided. 1. Administration of escital

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Social anxiety disorder (social phobia), according to DSM-5, must be the main diagnosis as assessed with the structured clinical interview for DSM disorders (SCID) 2. Otherwise somatically healthy 3. Age 18-65, but not postmenopausal 4. Willingness to participate in a symptom provocation brain imaging trial

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Treatment of social anxiety within the three months preceding the study 2. Current serious or dominant psychiatric disorder other than social anxiety disorder (e.g. psychosis, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder) 3. Suicidal ideation 4. Chronic use of prescribed medication that could influence the results (e.g. other anxiolytic or antidepressant drugs, certain hypnotics or herbs like St John?s Wort) 5. Abuse of alcohol or narcotics 6. Pregnancy or planned pregnancy during the study period 7. Menopause 8. Previous positron emission tomography (PET) examination 9. Contraindications for MRI investigation (e.g. implants or other metal objects in the body, brain and heart operations)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) 2. Spielberger state anxiety inventory (STAI-S) during anticipatory anxiety in the fMRI-setting Primary measures will be administered at 4 times: baseline, posttreatment after nine weeks of drug treatment, after nine weeks of additional (voluntary) cognitive behaviour therapy, and at 12 month follow-up	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. The Clinical Global Impression ? Improvement (CGI-I) scale 2. Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) 3. Social Phobia Scale (SPS) 4. Social Phobia Screening Questionnaire (SPSQ) 5. Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S) 6. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) 7. Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) 8. Karolinska scale of personality (KSP) 9. NEO-PI-R, personality inventory 10. Spielberger trait anxiety inventory (STAI-T) Secondary measures will be administered at 4 times: baseline, posttreatment after nine weeks of drug treatment, after nine weeks of additional (voluntary) cognitive behaviour therapy, and at 12 month follow-up	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The Clinical Global Impression ? Improvement (CGI-I) scale 2. Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) 3. Social Phobia Scale (SPS) 4. Social Phobia Screening Questionnaire (SPSQ) 5. Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S) 6. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) 7. Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) 8. Karolinska scale of personality (KSP) 9. NEO-PI-R, personality inventory 10. Spielberger trait anxiety inventory (STAI-T) Secondary measures will be administered at 4 times: baseline, posttreatment after nine weeks of drug treatment, after nine weeks of additional (voluntary) cognitive behaviour therapy, and at 12 month follow-up

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Countries

Sweden

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026