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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT07216222

K08 VR Fear Conditioning

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how people respond to fear-related experiences in a virtual reality (VR) environment. The study will also look at how brain activity and body responses are connected to learning and memory of fear. To do so, we recruit individuals who are already implanted with a Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) device for the treatment of epilepsy. This research may help improve our understanding of anxiety disorders and how to better treat them in the future.

The main questions it aims to answer are: 1) How do people learn to associate certain cues in VR with feelings of fear or safety? 2) What brain and body responses happen during fear learning?

Participants will: 1) Wear a virtual reality headset and experience different environments and sounds, 2) Have their brain activity, heart rate, and sweating measured, and 3) Receive safe, mild electrical pulses through the RNS device during the study to help study fear learning. Participants will attend one or more study sessions, each lasting about 3-4 hours.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety and Fear Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders PTSD Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders Veteran

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Los Angeles, California, 90024, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Male
  • Female
  • Between 18 and 70 years of age
  • Adequate visual and auditory acuity to allow neuropsychological testing
  • Have undergone surgical placement of NeuroPace RNS System for the treatment of epilepsy or post-traumatic stress disorder

Exclusion criteria

  • History of traumatic brain injury

Treatment and study plan

Deep brain stimulation

Device

Deep brain stimulation via the Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) device.

Primary outcomes

  1. Intracranial EEG activity

    Time frame: Baseline

    Power in the theta band (~3-12 Hz).

  2. Skin conductance activity

    Time frame: Baseline

    Electrodermal response during the fear conditioning experiment, as quantified by changes in electrical conductance between electrodes placed on the palm.

  3. Heart rate

    Time frame: Baseline

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Other

Collaborators

  • Duke University
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Registry information

Official study title

Intracranial Recording and Stimulation of the Human Hippocampal-Amygdala Circuit During Virtual Reality Fear Conditioning

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2030
First posted
Oct 14, 2025
Registry last updated
Oct 14, 2025

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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