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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03547713

A Neuropsychological Characterization of Social Feedback Processing in Social Anxiety

The purpose of this study is to characterize neuropsychological mechanisms (positive affect, negative affect and self-evaluation) mediating processing of social feedback in people with different levels of social anxiety, by implementing functional and structural MRI.

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Key information

Conditions

Social Anxiety

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Tel-Aviv Sourasky medical center

Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel

About this study

Social anxiety (SA) disorder is a relatively widespread emotional disorder which is associated with considerable impairment in social, educational, and occupational functioning (Kessler et al., 2005). This condition is characterized by a debilitating preoccupation with the evaluation of the self by others, ultimately leading to excessive fear and avoidance of interpersonal encounters. As opposed to healthy individuals who typically process social feedback in a positively biased manner, Individuals with high levels of SA tend to evaluate the feedback conveyed by others negatively. Such biases have a profound contribution to the maintenance of social-related concerns (Clark & Wells, 1995).

Thus, the overreaching goal of this research is to provide a neuropsychological account of biased processing of social feedback evident in SA. To meet this goal, participants varying in their level of SA are asked to deliver a speech and evaluate it before and after receiving social feedback during an fMRI scan. Additional structural and resting-state fMRI scans, as well as physiological and psychological measures, are obtained throughout the experiment in order to explain individual differences in processing of feedback. fMRI tasks probing basic neuropsychological processes include a self-referential paradigm, wherein participants judge if different traits varying in valence and social domain (power vs. affiliation) are descriptive of them; a reward vs. punishment task, in which participants can win or lose money; and an emotional reactivity task, in which participants view faces with different emotional expressions.

The long-term goal of this study is to better delineate both neurobiological and psychological models of SA, as well as to help in directing future neuromodulation-based treatments of mood and anxiety disorders.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy participants
  • With different levels of social anxiety as measured by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self-Report (LSAS-SR; Fresco et al., 2001)
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • Compatibility with general MRI requirements

Exclusion criteria

  • History of neurological or psychiatric diseases

Treatment and study plan

Social feedback

Behavioral

Social feedback regarding performance of a public speech is delivered to participants

Self-referential paradigm

Behavioral

Exposure to traits varying in valence (positive vs. negative) and social domain (power vs. affiliation)

Reward vs. punishment task

Behavioral

Reception of monetary gains vs. losses

Emotional reactivity task

Behavioral

Exposure to emotional faces vs. shapes

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in evaluation of a public performance

    Time frame: 1 day

    Rating of a public performance made on a 0-10 scale before vs. after reception of social feedback

  2. Correlation of social feedback processing with neural indices and anxiety levels

    Time frame: 1 day

    • Neural activation and functional connectivity measured during processing of social feedback with different values.
    • Neural activation and functional connectivity measured in fMRI tasks probing elemental neuropsychological processes:

    2.A. Processing of self-descriptive traits differing in valence (positive vs. negative) and social domain (power vs. affiliation).

    2.B. Response to emotional faces. 2.C. Anticipating and receiving monetary reward vs. loss. 3. Brain functional connectivity obtained during resting-state scans obtained at three time-points: a) before the speech; b) before feedback reception; c) after feedback reception.

    • We will assess the correlation between multiple measurements (i.e. anxiety levels, behavioral indices of speech evaluation bias, and the battery of fMRI tasks) by implementing multivariate and multiparametric statistical models.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Correlation of self-representation processes with neural indices and anxiety levels

    Time frame: 1 day

    • Neural activation and functional connectivity measured during processing of social feedback with different values.
    • Neural activation and functional connectivity measured in fMRI tasks probing elemental neuropsychological processes:

    b1. Processing of self-descriptive traits differing in valence (positive vs. negative) and social domain (power vs. affiliation).

    b2. Response to emotional faces. b3. Anticipating and receiving monetary reward vs. loss.

    • Brain functional connectivity obtained during resting-state scans obtained at three time-points: before the speech, before feedback reception and after feedback reception.
    • We will assess the correlation between multiple measurements (i.e. anxiety levels, behavioral indices of speech evaluation bias, and the battery of fMRI tasks) by implementing multivariate and multiparametric statistical models.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

Other Gov

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Jun 6, 2018
Registry last updated
Mar 11, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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