The aim of the present study is to determine whether people receiving d-cycloserine and exposure therapy show different brain reactions to symptom provocation compared to people receiving placebo and exposure therapy.
D-cycloserine (DCS) is a partial N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist that may improve or accelerate extinction learning. We will randomly assign people with snake phobia to receive DCS or placebo, and then provide all participants with exposure therapy. We will examine whether people receiving DCS and vs. placebo show different brain reactions to symptom provocation before and after exposure therapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
20
50 mg d-cycloserine, oral, 1 dose
Single session graded in vivo exposure therapy, 60-180 minutes
Single capsule of oral placebo, administered once 1 hr prior to exposure therapy
Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Snake Questionnaire (SNAQ)
30-item self-report scale of severity of snake fear and avoidance Range: 0-30; higher values indicate greater fear severity
Time frame: 2 weeks
Clinician's Global Impression (CGI)-Severity
Clinician rating of global illness severity (at pre- and post-treatment) CGI-Severity range 1-7; higher scores indicate greater illness severity.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Clinician's Global Impression (CGI)-Improvement
Clinician rating of global illness severity (at post-treatment) CGI-Improvement range 1-7; higher scores indicate poorer improvement; classified as responder if score = 1 or 2, nonresponder if score \> 2
Time frame: 2 weeks
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