Stress Reduction and Anxiety: Effects on the Function and Structure of the Brain

Massachusetts General Hospital29 enrolled

Overview

The aim of the study is to test whether Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) patients that participate in a Stress Reduction Intervention show a brain activation pattern (assessed by MRI) indicative of improved emotion regulation compared to an active control intervention.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Interventions

Stress Reduction InterventionBEHAVIORAL

eight week group program, plus daily homework practice

Active Control interventionBEHAVIORAL

weekly group meetings for eight weeks, plus daily homework practice

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 75 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * participation in the study 'Stress Reduction Techniques and Anxiety: Therapeutic and Neuroendocrine Effects" by Dr. Elizabeth Hoge Exclusion Criteria: * metallic implants * left handed * epileptic seizures * head trauma * weight over 350 pounds * claustrophobia

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital

Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

brain activation and structure as assessed by MRI

BOLD functional MRI and structural MRI

Time frame: Day 1 (within two weeks before the intervention)

brain activation and structure as assessed by MRI

BOLD functional MRI and structural MRI

Time frame: Day 2 (within two weeks after the intervention)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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