PREDICT: Predicting treatment success using extinction learning

Introduction

Treatment of anxiety disorders, with or without medication, currently lead to a substantial reduction in symptoms in only 60-70% of patients with an anxiety disorder. Many therapies for anxiety symptoms focus on exposure to the fear, in order to extinguish the fear response. However, previous studies have shown that people exhibit different patterns in fear learning. These learning patterns could be predictive of treatment succes for anxiety disorders.

In this study, prior to the start of anxiety treatment, the fear learning patterns will be determined by a short computer task. In addition, we will use a short questionnaire before and after treatment (after 12 and 24 weeks) to determine the extent to which symptoms have diminished.

Project overview

Objective:

To investigate whether fear learning patterns can predict the extent to which anxiety symptoms decrease after treatment.

Target population:

Military personnel or veterans (18-65 years old) who enter treatment for anxiety symptoms. 

Timeframe:

The study started in February 2020.  The expected duration is 3 years.

Results:

Results of the study are expected by the end of 2023.