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Fear learning and extinction

How fear is learned, held and unlearned.

Everything below was reached through this subject, not through the words you typed. Every row states how it was reached.

Qurʾān

القرآن6 shown

Verses named for this subject by hand come first. The rest are found by the subject’s own Arabic and English senses and are shown as lexical matches, not as anchors anyone has confirmed.

Qur'ān 21:103Arabic sense: الفزع, فزع

لَا يَحۡزُنُهُمُ ٱلۡفَزَعُ ٱلۡأَكۡبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّىٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ هَٰذَا يَوۡمُكُمُ ٱلَّذِي كُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ

They will have no fear of the great Terror: the angels will receive them with the words, ‘This is the Day you were promised!’

Qur'ān 114:4Arabic sense: الوسواس, وسواس

مِن شَرِّ ٱلۡوَسۡوَاسِ ٱلۡخَنَّاسِ

against the harm of the slinking whisperer––

Qur'ān 27:87Arabic sense: فزع

وَيَوۡمَ يُنفَخُ فِي ٱلصُّورِ فَفَزِعَ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَن فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا مَن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ وَكُلٌّ أَتَوۡهُ دَٰخِرِينَ

On the Day the Trumpet sounds, everyone in heaven and on earth will be terrified- except such as God wills- and all will come to Him in utter humility

Qur'ān 27:89Arabic sense: فزع

مَن جَآءَ بِٱلۡحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ خَيۡرࣱ مِّنۡهَا وَهُم مِّن فَزَعࣲ يَوۡمَئِذٍ ءَامِنُونَ

whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded with something better, and be secure from the terrors of that Day

Qur'ān 34:23Arabic sense: فزع

وَلَا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَٰعَةُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا لِمَنۡ أَذِنَ لَهُۥۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمۡ قَالُواْ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمۡۖ قَالُواْ ٱلۡحَقَّۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيُّ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ

Intercession will not work with Him, except by those to whom He gives permission.’ They will be asked, after the terror is lifted from their hearts [on the Day of Judgement], ‘What did your Lord speak?’ and they will answer, ‘The Truth. He is the Most High, the Most Great.’

Qur'ān 34:51Arabic sense: فزع

وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ فَزِعُواْ فَلَا فَوۡتَ وَأُخِذُواْ مِن مَّكَانࣲ قَرِيبࣲ‏

[Prophet], if you could only see their terror! There will be no escape when they are seized from a nearby place

Tafsīr

التفسير6 shown

Commentary on the verses above, at most two editions per verse.

en-asbab-al-nuzul-by-al-wahidi on 21:103en-asbab-al-nuzul-by-al-wahidicommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

The greatest terror shall not make them sorrow, and the angels will receive them: “This is the day that you were promised.” On the Day of Resurrection in the greatest gathering place and most tremendous courtyard, they will not hear from the angels the call “no good news” [25:22], nor the address, “Stand apart today, O offenders!” [36:59], nor the harsh call, “Slink into it, and do not talk to Me!” [23:108]. They will not hear the call of separation's pain, nor will they despair of mercy. Rather the angels will keep on coming, company after company, and they will give the good news: “This is the day that you were promised,” that is, “This is the day in which you have the promised reward.” Among them are those who will be received by the angels, and among them are those who will be addressed and made known by the King. God will say, “My servants, have you been yearning for Me?” He will sa

en-al-jalalayn on 21:103en-al-jalalayncommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

The Supreme Terror — which is that a servant be ordered off to the Fire shall not grieve them and the angels shall receive them upon their exiting from their graves saying to them ‘This is your day the one which you were promised’ during the life of the world.

en-al-jalalayn on 114:4en-al-jalalayncommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

from the evil of the slinking whisperer Satan — he is referred to by the name of the action waswasa on account of his repeated engaging in it — who slinks away and recoils from the heart whenever God is mentioned

en-tafisr-ibn-kathir on 114:4en-tafisr-ibn-kathircommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of An-Nas, (1)"The King of An-Nas, (2)"The God of An-Nas, (3)"From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws. (4)"Who whispers in the breasts of An-Nas. (5)"Of Jinn and An-Nas. (6) These are three attributes from the attributes of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic. They are lordship, sovereignty and divinity. Thus, He is the Lord of everything, the King of everything and the God of everything. All things are created by Him, owned by Him, and subservient to Him. Therefore, He commands whoever is seeking protection to seek refuge with the One Who has these attributes from the evil of the whisperer who withdraws. This (the whisperer) is the devil that is assigned to man. For verily, there is not any of the Children of Adam except that he has a companion that beautifies wicked deeds for him. This devil will go to any lengths to confuse and confound him. The o

en-al-jalalayn on 27:87en-al-jalalayncommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

And the day when the Trumpet will be blown the Horn will be blown the First Blast by the archangel Isrāfīl and whoever is in the heavens and the earth will be terrified that is a fright that brings about death — as is stated in another verse and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is in the earth will swoon Q. 3968 the past tense fazi‘a is used to express the fact that such events will have occurred; except whom God will namely Gabriel Michael Isrāfīl and the Angel of Death. According to Ibn ‘Abbās however these excepted individuals are the martyrs who are described as living with their Lord provided for by Him’ Q. 3169. And all kullun the nunation compensates for the missing genitive annexation in other words and every one of them after being brought back to life on the Day of Resurrection will come to Him read in the form of the verb atawhu or the active participle ātūhu in utter hum

en-tafisr-ibn-kathir on 27:87en-tafisr-ibn-kathircommentary on an ayah this subject surfaced

And (remember) the Day on which the Trumpet (Şūr) will be blown – and all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth, will be terrified except him whom Allah wills. And all shall come to Him, humbled (87)And you will see the mountains and think them solid, but they shall pass away as the passing away of the clouds. The work of Allah, Who perfected all things, verily, He is well-acquainted with what you do (88)Whoever brings a good deed, will have better than its worth; and they will be safe from the terror on that Day (89)And whoever brings an evil deed, they will be cast down on their faces in the Fire. (And it will be said to them) "Are you being recompensed anything except what you used to do? (90) The Terrors of the Day of Resurrection, the Rewards for Good Deeds and the Punishments for Evil Deeds Allah tells us about the terrors of the Day when the Şūr will be blown. The

Classical works

كتب التراث6 shown

Arabic originals, reached through the subject’s Arabic senses. Interpretive sources, never proof of a ruling.

ihya §6038ihyaArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

وجملة أدب المريض حسن الصبر وقلة الشكوى والضجر والفزع إلى الدعاء والتوكل بعد الدواء على خالق الدواء

mukhtasar-minhaj §897mukhtasar-minhajArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

وجملة آداب المريض: حسن الصبر، وقلة الشكوى والتضجر، والفزع إلى #

rawdat-muhibbin §149rawdat-muhibbinArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

أي لذلك الماء الذي غمر الأرض ومن عليها فصل وأما الوهل فهو بتحريك الهاء وأصله الفزع والروع يقال وهل يوهل وهو وهل ومستوهل قال القطامي يصف إبلا

rawdat-muhibbin §186rawdat-muhibbinArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

وأما اللوعة فقال في الصحاح لوعة الحب حرقته وقد لاعه الحب يلوعه والتاع فؤاده أي احترق من الشوق ومنه قولهم أتان لاعة الفؤاد إلى جحشها قال الأصمعي أي لائعة الفؤاد وهي التي كأنها ولهى من الفزع فصل

wabil-sayyib §407wabil-sayyibArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

| الفصل الرابع في اذكار الفزع في النوم والفكر

rawdat-muhibbin §2387rawdat-muhibbinArabic sense: الفزع, فزع

وقال أبو هريرة وابن عباس رضي الله عنهم خطب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل وفاته فقال في خطبته ومن قدر على امرأة أو جارية حراما فتركها مخافة من الله أمنه الله يوم الفزع الأكبر وحرمه على النار وأدخله الجنة

Research library

المكتبة البحثية1,226 works held

Peer-reviewed work held with its DOI and abstract, labelled with the study design its publication types report. None of it has been read or assessed, so nothing here may be cited as showing anything. Retracted work is held for the record but never listed; a review that a later version replaced is listed under its replacement and marked.

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.01.006Biological psychology (2006)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Amygdala, fear conditioning

Extending animal models of fear conditioning to humans.: A goal of fear and anxiety research is to understand how to treat the potentially devastating effects of anxiety disorders in humans. Much of this research utilizes classical fear conditioning, a simple paradigm that has been extensively investigated in animals, helping outline a brain circuitry thought to be responsible for the acquisition, expression and extinction of fear. The findings from non-human animal research have more recently been substantiated and extended in humans, using neuropsyc

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.01.008Biological psychology (2006)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, Amygdala, fear extinction

Fear extinction in rats: implications for human brain imaging and anxiety disorders.: Fear extinction is the decrease in conditioned fear responses that normally occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented in the absence of the aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). Extinction does not erase the initial CS-US association, but is thought to form a new memory. After extinction training, extinction memory competes with conditioning memory for control of fear expression. Deficits in fear extinction are thought to contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2008.01.017Journal of psychiatric research (2008)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, fear conditioning, fear extinction

Presence and acquired origin of reduced recall for fear extinction in PTSD: results of a twin study.: Recall of fear extinction, which is thought to aid in recovery from a psychologically traumatic event, is hypothesized to be deficient in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but this has not yet been demonstrated in the laboratory, nor has its origin been investigated. To address these two issues, 14 pairs of monozygotic twins discordant for combat exposure, in 7 of which the combat-exposed twin had PTSD, underwent a two-day fear conditioning and extinction procedure. On Day 1, subjects viewe

10.1016/j.nlm.2016.05.007Neurobiology of learning and memory (2016)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, fear conditioning, fear extinction

The effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on conditioned fear extinction in humans.: A critical component of the treatment for anxiety disorders is the extinction of fear via repeated exposure to the feared stimulus. This process is strongly dependent on successful memory formation and consolidation. Stimulation of the vagus nerve enhances memory formation in both animals and humans. The objective of this study was to assess whether transcutaneous stimulation of the vagus nerve (tVNS) can accelerate extinction memory formation and retention in fear conditioned humans. To assess

10.1017/s0033291719001387Psychological medicine (2020)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, fear conditioning

Neural signatures of conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall in posttraumatic stress disorder: a meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.: Background: Establishing neurobiological markers of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is essential to aid in diagnosis and treatment development. Fear processing deficits are central to PTSD, and their neural signatures may be used as such markers. Methods: Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of seven Pavlovian fear conditioning fMRI studies comparing 156 patients with PTSD and 148 trauma-exposed healthy controls (TEHC) using seed-based d-mapping, to contrast neural correlates of experimental

10.1523/jneurosci.2713-18.2019The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (2019)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by us; matched on Conditioning, Classical, Extinction, Psychological, Fear, fear extinction

Role of Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Learning and Recall of Enhanced Extinction.: Standard fear extinction relies on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to form a new memory given the omission of threat. Using fMRI in humans, we investigated whether replacing threat with novel neutral outcomes (instead of just omitting threat) facilitates extinction by engaging the vmPFC more effectively than standard extinction. Computational modeling of associability (indexing surprise strength and dynamically modulating learning rates) characterized skin conductance responses and vm

Research library, full list

151 to 175 of 1,226
Atlas LY, Doll BB, Li J, Daw ND, Phelps EA (2016)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by useLife75 citations

Instructed knowledge shapes feedback-driven aversive learning in striatum and orbitofrontal cortex, but not the amygdala.

Socially-conveyed rules and instructions strongly shape expectations and emotions. Yet most neuroscientific studies of learning consider reinforcement history alone, irrespective of knowledge acquired through other means. We examined fear conditioning and reversal in humans to test whether instructed knowledge modulates the neural mechanisms of feedback-driven learning. One group was informed about contingencies and reversals. A second group learned only from reinforcement. We combined quantitative models with functional magnetic resonance imaging and found that instructions induced dissociations in the neural systems of aversive learning. Responses in striatum and orbitofrontal cortex updated with instructions and correlated with prefrontal responses to instructions. Amygdala responses were influenced by reinforcement similarly in both groups and did not update with instructions. Result

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear conditioning (text)

Shang C, Liu Z, Chen Z, Shi Y, Wang Q, Liu S, Li D, Cao P (2015)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usScience (New York, N.Y.)280 citations

BRAIN CIRCUITS. A parvalbumin-positive excitatory visual pathway to trigger fear responses in mice.

The fear responses to environmental threats play a fundamental role in survival. Little is known about the neural circuits specifically processing threat-relevant sensory information in the mammalian brain. We identified parvalbumin-positive (PV(+)) excitatory projection neurons in mouse superior colliculus (SC) as a key neuronal subtype for detecting looming objects and triggering fear responses. These neurons, distributed predominantly in the superficial SC, divergently projected to different brain areas, including the parabigeminal nucleus (PBGN), an intermediate station leading to the amygdala. Activation of the PV(+) SC-PBGN pathway triggered fear responses, induced conditioned aversion, and caused depression-related behaviors. Approximately 20% of mice subjected to the fear-conditioning paradigm developed a generalized fear memory.

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear conditioning (text)

Ostroff LE, Manzur MK, Cain CK, Ledoux JE (2014)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usThe Journal of comparative neurology76 citations

Synapses lacking astrocyte appear in the amygdala during consolidation of Pavlovian threat conditioning.

There is growing evidence that astrocytes, long held to merely provide metabolic support in the adult brain, participate in both synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. Astrocytic processes are sometimes present at the synaptic cleft, suggesting that they might act directly at individual synapses. Associative learning induces synaptic plasticity and morphological changes at synapses in the lateral amygdala (LA). To determine whether astrocytic contacts are involved in these changes, we examined LA synapses after either threat conditioning (also called fear conditioning) or conditioned inhibition in adult rats by using serial section transmission electron microscopy (ssTEM) reconstructions. There was a transient increase in the density of synapses with no astrocytic contact after threat conditioning, especially on enlarged spines containing both polyribosomes and a spine apparatus. I

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear conditioning (text)

Convergent translational evidence of a role for anandamide in amygdala-mediated fear extinction, threat processing and stress-reactivity.

Endocannabinoids are released 'on-demand' on the basis of physiological need, and can be pharmacologically augmented by inhibiting their catabolic degradation. The endocannabinoid anandamide is degraded by the catabolic enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Anandamide is implicated in the mediation of fear behaviors, including fear extinction, suggesting that selectively elevating brain anandamide could modulate plastic changes in fear. Here we first tested this hypothesis with preclinical experiments employing a novel, potent and selective FAAH inhibitor, AM3506 (5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentanesulfonyl fluoride). Systemic AM3506 administration before extinction decreased fear during a retrieval test in a mouse model of impaired extinction. AM3506 had no effects on fear in the absence of extinction training, or on various non-fear-related measures. Anandamide levels in the basolateral amy

matched on Extinction, Psychological (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear extinction (text)

Lesting J, Daldrup T, Narayanan V, Himpe C, Seidenbecher T, Pape HC (2013)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usPloS one89 citations

Directional theta coherence in prefrontal cortical to amygdalo-hippocampal pathways signals fear extinction.

Theta oscillations are considered crucial mechanisms in neuronal communication across brain areas, required for consolidation and retrieval of fear memories. One form of inhibitory learning allowing adaptive control of fear memory is extinction, a deficit of which leads to maladaptive fear expression potentially leading to anxiety disorders. Behavioral responses after extinction training are thought to reflect a balance of recall from extinction memory and initial fear memory traces. Therefore, we hypothesized that the initial fear memory circuits impact behavioral fear after extinction, and more specifically, that the dynamics of theta synchrony in these pathways signal the individual fear response. Simultaneous multi-channel local field and unit recordings were obtained from the infralimbic prefrontal cortex, the hippocampal CA1 and the lateral amygdala in mice. Data revealed that the

matched on Extinction, Psychological (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear extinction (text)

Sears RM, Fink AE, Wigestrand MB, Farb CR, de Lecea L, Ledoux JE (2013)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America149 citations

Orexin/hypocretin system modulates amygdala-dependent threat learning through the locus coeruleus.

Survival in a dangerous environment requires learning about stimuli that predict harm. Although recent work has focused on the amygdala as the locus of aversive memory formation, the hypothalamus has long been implicated in emotional regulation, and the hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin (hypocretin) is involved in anxiety states and arousal. Nevertheless, little is known about the role of orexin in aversive memory formation. Using a combination of behavioral pharmacology, slice physiology, and optogenetic techniques, we show that orexin acts upstream of the amygdala via the noradrenergic locus coeruleus to enable threat (fear) learning, specifically during the aversive event. Our results are consistent with clinical studies linking orexin levels to aversive learning and anxiety in humans and dysregulation of the orexin system may contribute to the etiology of fear and anxiety disorders.

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), threat learning (text)

Hauner KK, Mineka S, Voss JL, Voss JL, Paller KA (2012)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America72 citations

Exposure therapy triggers lasting reorganization of neural fear processing.

A single session of exposure therapy can eliminate recalcitrant and disabling fear of phobogenic objects or situations. We studied neural mechanisms of this remarkable outcome by monitoring changes in brain activity as a result of successful 2-h treatment. Before treatment, phobogenic images excited activity in a network of regions, including amygdala, insula, and cingulate cortex, relative to neutral images. Successful therapy dampened responsiveness in this fear-sensitive network while concomitantly heightening prefrontal involvement. Six months later, dampened fear-network activity persisted but without prefrontal engagement. Additionally, individual differences in the magnitude of visual cortex activations recorded shortly after therapy predicted therapeutic outcomes 6 mo later, which involved persistently diminished visual responsiveness to phobogenic images. Successful therapy thus

matched on Extinction, Psychological (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear extinction (text)

Post-traumatic stress disorder is associated with PACAP and the PAC1 receptor.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is known to broadly regulate the cellular stress response. In contrast, it is unclear if the PACAP-PAC1 receptor pathway has a role in human psychological stress responses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here we find, in heavily traumatized subjects, a sex-specific association of PACAP blood levels with fear physiology, PTSD diagnosis and symptoms in females. We examined 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the PACAP (encoded by ADCYAP1) and PAC1 (encoded by ADCYAP1R1) genes, demonstrating a sex-specific association with PTSD. A single SNP in a putative oestrogen response element within ADCYAP1R1, rs2267735, predicts PTSD diagnosis and symptoms in females only. This SNP also associates with fear discrimination and with ADCYAP1R1 messenger RNA expression in human brain. Methylation of ADCYAP1R1 in per

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear conditioning (text)

Yamada D, Zushida K, Wada K, Sekiguchi M (2009)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology60 citations

Pharmacological discrimination of extinction and reconsolidation of contextual fear memory by a potentiator of AMPA receptors.

Conditioned fear memory, once formed through fear conditioning, is modulated by reexposure of individuals to a conditioned stimulus. The reexposure reactivates the fear memory, which induces reconsolidation of the memory first, and then extinction of the fear response. Both attenuating the former and facilitating the latter are effective in reducing the fear response, and these findings are potentially translatable to the enhancement of exposure therapy for complex anxiety disorders. Currently, there is no drug that is established to modulate either reconsolidation or extinction selectively, which are thought to be independent processes. Here, we report that an extinction-facilitating AMPA potentiator, 4-[2-(phenylsulfonylamino)ethylthio]-2,6-difluoro-phenoxyacetamide (PEPA), does not act on the reconsolidation of fear memory formed by contextual fear conditioning in mice. The freezing r

matched on Extinction, Psychological (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear conditioning (text)

Herry C, Ciocchi S, Senn V, Demmou L, Müller C, Lüthi A (2008)MEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usNature766 citations

Switching on and off fear by distinct neuronal circuits.

Switching between exploratory and defensive behaviour is fundamental to survival of many animals, but how this transition is achieved by specific neuronal circuits is not known. Here, using the converse behavioural states of fear extinction and its context-dependent renewal as a model in mice, we show that bi-directional transitions between states of high and low fear are triggered by a rapid switch in the balance of activity between two distinct populations of basal amygdala neurons. These two populations are integrated into discrete neuronal circuits differentially connected with the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex. Targeted and reversible neuronal inactivation of the basal amygdala prevents behavioural changes without affecting memory or expression of behaviour. Our findings indicate that switching between distinct behavioural states can be triggered by selective activati

matched on Extinction, Psychological (mesh), Fear (mesh), Amygdala (mesh), fear extinction (text)

Ferguson EM, Cooper DDJ, Grisham JR (2025)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usBehaviour research and therapy

Evaluation of a brief, online imagery rescripting intervention targeting fear-of-self in high obsessive-compulsive participants.

Emerging evidence suggests that rescripting aversive memories related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may improve symptoms and OCD-relevant cognitive and affective outcomes. We aimed to validate an online, audio-guided imagery rescripting protocol by comparing it with a focused, thought-listing control. A sample of Prolific online workers (n = 112) with high OCD symptoms identified a memory associated with OCD-related experiences, then were randomly assigned to complete either the rescripting or control task. Select outcomes were re-assessed one-week post-experiment. Feared self-perceptions improved for the rescripting, but not the control condition; these improvements were maintained for idiosyncratic and state feared-self beliefs, but not trait fear-of-self. Participants in the rescripting condition also reported significantly greater reductions in state anxiety and urge to neut

matched on Fear (mesh)

Redden SA, Patel TA, Cougle JR (2022)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJournal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry6 citations

Computerized treatment of perfectionism through mistake making: A preliminary study.

Background and objectives: Perfectionism has important implications for self-worth, personal standards, and psychopathology. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of a novel two-week, computerized, exposure-based treatment for perfectionism (ETP). Methods: Seventy-one university students with elevated perfectionism were randomized to either the ETP group (n = 36) or the waitlist (WL) control group (n = 35). The ETP group was asked to complete the intervention at home, every three days for two weeks for a total of five treatment sessions. The tasks in the ETP condition were engineered to have participants repeatedly make mistakes. All participants returned two weeks after the baseline visit for a post-treatment assessment. Results: Compared to WL, ETP led to lower overall perfectionism, concern over mistakes, personal standards, depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and e

matched on Fear (mesh)

Park S, Sato Y, Takita Y, Tamura N, Ninomiya A, Kosugi T, Sado M, Nakagawa A, Takahashi M, Hayashida T, Fujisawa D (2020)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJournal of pain and symptom management145 citations

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Psychological Distress, Fear of Cancer Recurrence, Fatigue, Spiritual Well-Being, and Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Context: Mindfulness-based interventions have been receiving growing attention in cancer care. Objectives: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for psychological distress (anxiety and depression), fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), fatigue, spiritual well-being, and quality of life (QOL) in Japanese ambulatory patients with Stage I-III breast cancer. Methods: A total of 74 patients were randomly assigned to either an eight-week MBCT intervention group (n = 38) or a wait-list control group (n = 36). The primary outcome was psychological distress, measured on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The secondary outcomes were FCR (Concerns About Recurrence Scale-overall anxiety subscale), fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), spiritual well-being (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual),

matched on Fear (mesh)

Fobian AD, Long DM, Szaflarski JP (2020)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usAnnals of clinical and translational neurology69 citations

Retraining and control therapy for pediatric psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

Objective: Our aim was to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of a novel cognitive behaviorally based intervention for pediatric PNES called Retraining and Control Therapy (ReACT). Methods: Participants were randomized to receive either eight sessions of ReACT or supportive therapy, and participants completed follow-up visits at 7- and 60-days posttreatment. The primary outcome measure was PNES frequency at 7-days posttreatment. Eligibility criteria included children with video-EEG confirmed PNES and participant/parent or guardian willingness to participate in treatment. Exclusion criteria included substance use, psychosis, and severe intellectual disability. Forty-two patients were assessed for eligibility and 32 were randomized. ReACT aimed to retrain classically conditioned, involuntary PNES by targeting catastrophic symptom expectations and a low sense of control over symptom

matched on Conditioning, Classical (mesh)

Gosling JA, Batterham P, Ritterband L, Glozier N, Thorndike F, Griffiths KM, Mackinnon A, Christensen HM (2018)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usThe Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry22 citations

Online insomnia treatment and the reduction of anxiety symptoms as a secondary outcome in a randomised controlled trial: The role of cognitive-behavioural factors.

Objective: Insomnia and anxiety commonly co-occur, yet the mechanisms underlying this remain unclear. The current paper describes the impact of an Internet-based intervention for insomnia on anxiety, and explores the influence of two cognitive-behavioural constructs - dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and sleep-threat monitoring. Methods: A large-scale, 9-week, two-arm randomised controlled trial ( N = 1149) of community-dwelling Australian adults with insomnia and elevated yet subclinical depression symptoms was conducted, comparing a cognitive behavioural therapy-based online intervention for insomnia (Sleep Healthy Using The Internet) with an attention-matched online control intervention (HealthWatch). Symptoms of anxiety were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up. Dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and sleep threat monitoring were assessed only at pretest. Results: Slee

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Germeroth LJ, Carpenter MJ, Baker NL, Froeliger B, LaRowe SD, Saladin ME (2017)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJAMA psychiatry72 citations

Effect of a Brief Memory Updating Intervention on Smoking Behavior: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Recent research on addiction-related memory processes suggests that protracted extinction training following brief cue-elicited memory retrieval (ie, retrieval-extinction [R-E] training) can attenuate/eradicate the ability of cues to elicit learned behaviors. One study reported that cue-elicited craving among detoxified heroin addicts was substantially attenuated following R-E training and through 6-month follow-up. Objective: To build on these impressive findings by examining whether R-E training could attenuate smoking-related craving and behavior. Design, setting, and participants: This prospective, mixed-design, human laboratory randomized clinical trial took place between December 2013 and September 2015. Participants were recruited in Charleston, South Carolina. Study sessions took place at the Medical University of South Carolina. The participants were 168 screened vol

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SlowMo, a digital therapy targeting reasoning in paranoia, versus treatment as usual in the treatment of people who fear harm from others: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Paranoia is one of the most common symptoms of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and is associated with significant distress and disruption to the person's life. Developing more effective and accessible psychological interventions for paranoia is a clinical priority. Our research team has approached this challenge in two main ways: firstly, by adopting an interventionist causal approach to increase effectiveness and secondly, by incorporating user-centred inclusive design methods to enhance accessibility and usability. Our resultant new digital intervention, SlowMo, intensively targets a reasoning style associated with paranoia, fast thinking, characterised by jumping to conclusions and belief inflexibility. It consists of an easy-to-use, enjoyable and memorable digital interface. An interactive web-based app facilitates delivery of face-to-face meetings which is then synchro

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Kelly AC, Wisniewski L, Martin-Wagar C, Hoffman E (2017)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usClinical psychology & psychotherapy46 citations

Group-Based Compassion-Focused Therapy as an Adjunct to Outpatient Treatment for Eating Disorders: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

The current study sought to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a compassion-focused therapy (CFT) group as an adjunct to evidence-based outpatient treatment for eating disorders, and to examine its preliminary efficacy relative to treatment as usual (TAU). Twenty-two outpatients with various types of eating disorders were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of TAU (n = 11) or TAU plus weekly CFT groups adapted for an eating disorder population (CFT + TAU; n = 11). Participants in both conditions completed measures of self-compassion, fears of compassion, shame and eating disorder pathology at baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12. Additionally, participants receiving the CFT group completed measures assessing acceptability and feasibility of the group. Results indicated that the CFT group demonstrated strong acceptability; attendance was high and the group retained over 80% of particip

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Butow PN, Turner J, Gilchrist J, Sharpe L, Smith AB, Fardell JE, Tesson S, O'Connell R, Girgis A, Gebski VJ, Asher R, Mihalopoulos C, Bell ML, Zola KG, Beith J, Thewes B (2017)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJournal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology156 citations

Randomized Trial of ConquerFear: A Novel, Theoretically Based Psychosocial Intervention for Fear of Cancer Recurrence.

Purpose Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is prevalent, distressing, and long lasting. This study evaluated the impact of a theoretically/empirically based intervention (ConquerFear) on FCR. Methods Eligible survivors had curable breast or colorectal cancer or melanoma, had completed treatment (not including endocrine therapy) 2 months to 5 years previously, were age > 18 years, and had scores above the clinical cutoff on the FCR Inventory (FCRI) severity subscale at screening. Participants were randomly assigned at a one-to-one ratio to either five face-to-face sessions of ConquerFear (attention training, metacognitions, acceptance/mindfulness, screening behavior, and values-based goal setting) or an attention control (Taking-it-Easy relaxation therapy). Participants completed questionnaires at baseline (T0), immediately post-therapy (T1), and 3 (T2) and 6 months (T3) later. The primary o

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Otto AK, Szczesny EC, Soriano EC, Laurenceau JP, Siegel SD (2016)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usHealth psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association71 citations

Effects of a randomized gratitude intervention on death-related fear of recurrence in breast cancer survivors.

Objective: Among the most prevalent and distressing concerns endorsed by breast cancer survivors is fear of cancer recurrence (FOR), and one of the most salient facets is the worry that a recurrence of cancer could cause one's death. The primary goal of the present study was to test the effects of a brief, low-cost gratitude intervention on overall FOR and death-related FOR, positing pursuit of meaningful goals as a theoretically driven putative mediator. To replicate published tests of similar gratitude-eliciting interventions, positive affect (PA) was also considered as an outcome. Method: Sixty-seven women with early stage breast cancer were randomly assigned to either a 6-week online gratitude intervention or a 6-week online control condition. Outcomes were assessed at pre- and posttreatment, as well as 1 month and 3 months after the end of treatment. The mediator, meaningful goal pu

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Parry SW, Bamford C, Deary V, Finch TL, Gray J, MacDonald C, McMeekin P, Sabin NJ, Steen IN, Whitney SL, McColl EM (2016)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usHealth technology assessment (Winchester, England)68 citations

Cognitive-behavioural therapy-based intervention to reduce fear of falling in older people: therapy development and randomised controlled trial - the Strategies for Increasing Independence, Confidence and Energy (STRIDE) study.

Background: Falls cause fear, anxiety and loss of confidence, resulting in activity avoidance, social isolation and increasing frailty. The umbrella term for these problems is 'fear of falling', seen in up to 85% of older adults who fall. Evidence of effectiveness of physical and psychological interventions is limited, with no previous studies examining the role of an individually delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) approach. Objectives: Primary objective To develop and then determine the effectiveness of a new CBT intervention (CBTi) delivered by health-care assistants (HCAs) plus usual care compared with usual care alone in reducing fear of falling. Secondary objectives To measure the impact of the intervention on falls, injuries, functional abilities, anxiety/depression, quality of life, social participation and loneliness; investigate the acceptability of the intervention f

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Lazarov A, Abend R, Bar-Haim Y (2016)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJournal of affective disorders110 citations

Social anxiety is related to increased dwell time on socially threatening faces.

Background: Identification of reliable targets for therapeutic interventions is essential for developing evidence-based therapies. Threat-related attention bias has been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of social anxiety disorder. Extant response-time-based threat bias measures have demonstrated limited reliability and internal consistency. Here, we examined gaze patterns of socially anxious and nonanxious participants in relation to social threatening and neutral stimuli using an eye-tracking task, comprised of multiple threat and neutral stimuli, presented for an extended time-period. We tested the psychometric properties of this task with the hope to provide a solid stepping-stone for future treatment development. Methods: Eye gaze was tracked while participants freely viewed 60 different matrices comprised of eight disgusted and eight neutral facial expressions, presented f

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Kampmann IL, Emmelkamp PM, Hartanto D, Brinkman WP, Zijlstra BJ, Morina N (2016)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usBehaviour research and therapy104 citations

Exposure to virtual social interactions in the treatment of social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a stand-alone virtual reality exposure intervention comprising verbal interaction with virtual humans to target heterogeneous social fears in participants with social anxiety disorder. Sixty participants (Mage = 36.9 years; 63.3% women) diagnosed with social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to individual virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), individual in vivo exposure therapy (iVET), or waiting-list. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that both treatment groups improved from pre-to postassessment on social anxiety symptoms, speech duration, perceived stress, and avoidant personality disorder related beliefs when compared to the waiting-list. Participants receiving iVET, but not VRET, improved on fear of negative evaluation, speech performance, general anxiety, depression, and quality of life relative to those o

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Steinglass JE, Albano AM, Simpson HB, Wang Y, Zou J, Attia E, Walsh BT (2014)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usThe International journal of eating disorders95 citations

Confronting fear using exposure and response prevention for anorexia nervosa: A randomized controlled pilot study.

Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe illness with high rates of relapse. Exposure and Response Prevention for AN (AN-EXRP) is a new approach that specifically addresses maladaptive eating behavior by targeting eating-related fear and anxiety. The aim of this study was to evaluate AN-EXRP as an adjunctive strategy to improve eating behavior during weight restoration, at a pivotal moment when treatment goals shift toward relapse prevention. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare AN-EXRP with a comparison condition, Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT). Hospitalized patients with AN (n = 32) who had achieved weight restoration to a BMI > 18.5 kg/m(2) received 12 sessions of either AN-EXRP or CRT. Outcome was assessed by change in caloric intake in an objective assessment of eating behavior. Results: The average test meal caloric intake of participants who rece

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Craske MG, Niles AN, Burklund LJ, Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Vilardaga JC, Arch JJ, Saxbe DE, Lieberman MD (2014)randomised controlled trialMEDLINE-indexed journal, not yet read by usJournal of consulting and clinical psychology104 citations

Randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy for social phobia: outcomes and moderators.

Objective: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment for social phobia. However, not all individuals respond to treatment and many who show improvement do not maintain their gains over the long-term. Thus, alternative treatments are needed. Method: The current study (N = 87) was a 3-arm randomized clinical trial comparing CBT, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and a wait-list control group (WL) in participants with a diagnosis of social phobia based on criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Participants completed 12 sessions of CBT or ACT or a 12-week waiting period. All participants completed assessments at baseline and posttreatment, and participants assigned to CBT and ACT also completed assessments 6 and 12 months following baseline. Assessments consisted of self-re

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