Efficacy and mechanisms underlying a gamified attention bias modification training in anxious youth: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BMC Psychiatry
Julia O LinkeMelissa A Brotman

Abstract

Attention bias modification training (ABMT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) likely target different aspects of aberrant threat responses in anxiety disorders and may be combined to maximize therapeutic benefit. However, studies investigating the effect of ABMT in the context of CBT have yielded mixed results. Here, we propose an enhanced ABMT to target the attentional bias towards threat, in addition to classic CBT for anxiety disorders in youth. This enhanced ABMT integrates the modified dot-probe task used in previous studies, where a target is always presented at the previous location of the neutral and not the simultaneously presented threatening stimulus, with a visual search, where the targets are always presented distally of threatening distractors. These two training elements (modified dot-probe and visual search) are embedded in an engaging game to foster motivation and adherence. Our goal is to determine the efficacy of the enhanced ABMT in the context of CBT. Further, we aim to replicate two previous findings: (a) aberrant amygdala connectivity being the neurobiological correlate of the attentional bias towards threat at baseline; and (b) amygdala connectivity being a mediator of the ABMT effect. We will also ...Continue Reading

Associated Clinical Trials

References

Nov 1, 1988·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·E J Costello, A Angold
Sep 1, 1987·Archives of General Psychiatry·H R BirdJ C Ribera
Nov 1, 1983·Archives of General Psychiatry·D ShafferS Aluwahlia
Oct 1, 1994·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·B GreenJ Wanstrath
Apr 1, 1997·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·B BirmaherS M Neer
Jan 5, 2007·Psychological Bulletin·Yair Bar-HaimMarinus H van IJzendoorn
Dec 21, 2007·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Antje BittnerAdrian Angold
Jul 1, 2009·Psychiatry Research·Nim TottenhamCharles Nelson
Aug 28, 2009·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Aprajita MohantyM-Marsel Mesulam
Sep 1, 2009·The Psychiatric Clinics of North America·Katja BeesdoDaniel S Pine
Mar 26, 2010·BMC Medicine·Kenneth F SchulzUNKNOWN CONSORT Group
Jul 29, 2010·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·William W HaleWim H J Meeus
Dec 16, 2010·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Kathleen Ries MerikangasMark Olfson
Jul 7, 2011·Psychological Bulletin·Lauren S Hallion, Ayelet Meron Ruscio
May 12, 2012·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Argyris StringarisMelissa A Brotman
Jan 9, 2013·Annals of Internal Medicine·An-Wen ChanDavid Moher
Mar 6, 2013·Cognitive Therapy and Research·Stefan G HofmannAngela Fang
Jun 5, 2013·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Anthony C JamesAislinn Choke
Nov 14, 2013·Psychological Bulletin·Colleen M CummingsPhilip C Kendall
Dec 18, 2013·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Tomer ShechnerYair Bar-Haim
Jan 10, 2014·Journal of Statistical Software·Sarah M KreidlerDeborah H Glueck
Mar 22, 2014·Journal of Clinical Psychology·Cristina MogoaşeErnst H W Koster
Jan 7, 2015·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·Ioana A CristeaPim Cuijpers
Feb 3, 2015·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Ioana A CristeaPim Cuijpers
Apr 7, 2015·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·Wouter J BoendermakerReinout W Wiers
Jun 17, 2015·Clinical Psychology Review·Alexandre HeerenRichard J McNally
Aug 28, 2015·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Allison M WatersKarin Mogg
Jun 28, 2016·Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry·Pablo Vidal-RibasArgyris Stringaris
Nov 3, 2016·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Lee Pergamin-HightYair Bar-Haim
Sep 13, 2016·Behaviour Research and Therapy·Karin Mogg, Brendan P Bradley

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 24, 2020·Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology·Rany AbendDaniel S Pine
Jun 15, 2021·Work : a Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation·Yonghui Jin, Jun He

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

3dClustSim
AFNI ( Analysis of Functional Neuroimages )
GLIMMPSE
AFNI
Power
3dLME

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.

Amygdala and Midbrain Dopamine

The midbrain dopamine system is widely studied for its involvement in emotional and motivational behavior. Some of these neurons receive information from the amygdala and project throughout the cortex. When the circuit and transmission of dopamine is disrupted symptoms may present. Here is the latest research on the amygdala and midbrain dopamine.

Amygdala: Sensory Processes

Amygdalae, nuclei clusters located in the temporal lobe of the brain, play a role in memory, emotional responses, and decision-making. Here is the latest research on sensory processes in the amygdala.