Anxiety and FearNCT07216222
K08 VR Fear Conditioning
A study testing Deep Brain Stimulation in people with Anxiety and Fear and PTSD, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Anxiety and Fear, PTSD, Veteran
- What is being tested?
- Deep Brain Stimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 70 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2025to 28 Feb 2030
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- History of traumatic brain injury
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Los Angeles, California, 90024
Anthony I Jang, MD, 424-242-2423, aijangresearch@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Intracranial Recording and Stimulation of the Human Hippocampal-Amygdala Circuit During Virtual Reality 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.
- Conditions
- Anxiety and Fear, PTSD, Veteran
- Being tested
- Deep Brain Stimulation
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Deep Brain StimulationDevice
Deep brain stimulation via the Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) device.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| All RNS Participants | Experimental | In this single-arm study, all participants will complete identical experimental conditions with simultaneous iEEG recordings (Recording Study) or iEEG stimulation (Stimulation Study). Receives: Device: Deep Brain Stimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Intracranial EEG activity
Power in the theta band (~3-12 Hz).
Measured: Baseline
Skin conductance activity
Electrodermal response during the fear conditioning experiment, as quantified by changes in electrical conductance between electrodes placed on the palm.
Measured: Baseline
Heart rate
Measured: Baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Oct 2025
- Study start1 Mar 2025
- Primary completion1 Mar 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion28 Feb 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Anxiety and FearStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, Los AngelesThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Duke University, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Anthony Jang, MD, University of California, Los Angeles
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07216222
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-24-6010
- Other IDs
- 1K08MH138741-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 23 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 13 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Intracranial Recording and Stimulation of the Human Hippocampal-Amygdala Circuit During Virtual Reality Fear Conditioning
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07216222
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB-24-6010
- Conditions
- Anxiety and Fear, PTSD, Veteran
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 70 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los AngelesUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Duke University, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Mar 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 28 Feb 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 14 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| All RNS Participants | Experimental | Device: Deep Brain StimulationIn this single-arm study, all participants will complete identical experimental conditions with simultaneous iEEG recordings (Recording Study) or iEEG stimulation (Stimulation Study). |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- History of traumatic brain injury
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Brain StimulationDeep brain stimulation via the Responsive Neurostimulator (RNS) device. | Device | All RNS Participants |
Primary outcome
Intracranial EEG activity
Time frame: Baseline
Power in the theta band (~3-12 Hz).
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.
Heart rate
Time frame: Baseline
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Deep Brain Stimulation in people with Anxiety and Fear and PTSD, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jonny Baham (424-242-2423, jangresearchlab.ucla@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Intracranial EEG activity (time frame: Baseline). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Oct 2026.