Changes in Brain Activity (Functional MRI Study) Before and After Behavioral Therapy of Height Phobia

The Effects of in Vivo Exposure Therapy on the Neural Correlates of Height Phobia: a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Using a Fear Provocation Paradigm.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00302978

Enrollment

Registered

2006-03-15

Start date

2006-03-31

Completion date

2006-06-30

Last updated

2011-12-15

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

Conditions

Fear of Heights, Height Phobia

Keywords

Height phobia, fear of heights, specific phobia

Brief summary

We are interested in investigating the functional brain abnormalities of height phobia. Subjects will be have a functional MRI scan before and after a course of treatment with behavioral therapy.

Detailed description

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of in vivo exposure therapy on the functional brain activity of subjects with height phobia using a fear provocation paradigm. We expect differential activation of the fear circuitry in height phobics compared to non-phobic controls, and that successful behavioral therapy will normalize the heightened fear response in height phobia.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALBehavior therapy

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Specific phobia of Heights

Exclusion criteria

* History of medical problems

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
CGI	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
acrophobia questionnaire	—

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026