Note: This study is currently only recruiting patients in the hospital.
If you are interested in being notified if this study begins recruiting from the general population, please use the 'I Am Interested' button below.
Are obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors causing you distress?
This project is not recruiting.
Overview
What we are studying
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about how human beings learn not to fear and the impact of changing the fear network in the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in individuals with OCD. In tDCS, electrodes are applied to the scalp. The electrodes are attached to a machine that sends electrical current through the brain resulting in a temporary change in brain activity. The tDCS procedure will not activate any of your brain cells causing them to “fire,” however the stimulation will adjust the likelihood of some brain cells “firing” on their own.
Why it is important
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) struggle with recurrent, unwanted thoughts or images (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that create distress in their life and for their loved ones. People with OCD often have many fears and may go to extremes to avoid the things they fear. Existing treatments for OCD are generally effective; yet a significant portion of patients still do not respond. Thus, we hope this study will help us understand how future treatments can help patients with OCD better control unwanted fear. Compared to other brain stimulation therapies, tDCS is simpler, cheaper, portable, and safer: these characteristics make it an ideal intervention to use in combination with behavioral therapies in future studies or as a home-based treatment.
What we hope to accomplish
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Principal Investigator
Who can participate
We are inviting adults aged 18-60 with primary OCD to participate in the research study. Those interested must be fluent in English, willing to provide informed consent and comply with the study protocol, and must be comfortable and capable of using a computer and completing computerized tasks. To see if you are eligible, please fill out the following interest form: https://redcap.link/ocdfearstudy_prescreen
What you may be asked to do
Participation includes: (1) A virtual clinical screening/baseline assessment visit consisting of a clinical interview (2-3 hours) and self-report questionnaires (30 minutes), (2) Two in-person visits over two days (Day 1 = 3.5 hours and Day 2 = 2 hours) at the MGH Charlestown Navy Yard campus, including: (a) a fear learning computer task in which you view a series of pictures on the computer screen; after you see some of the pictures, you will receive a half-second electric shock that it is annoying but not painful, (b) before, during, or after the computer task on Day 1 you will be randomly assigned to receive either 20 minutes of active transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) — a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that stimulates the brain — or you will receive sham tDCS, and (c) during the computer task we will measure brain activity using an electroencephalogram (EEG) machine and skin conductance (i.e., sweatiness of your palms) using electrodes that fit comfortably on your fingers.
Project activities may include:
- Survey
- Office visit
Estimated Time Commitment
9 hours over 3 visits
What You May Get
Participants will receive up to $300 for participating. Participants will be paid $150 for Day 1 of the fear conditioning/extinction paradigm and $150 for Day 2.
Location
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
149 13th St, Charlestown, MA 02129
Travel
- Parking reimbursed
- Accessible by public transportation
- Parking available
Travel and Parking Details
Parking costs will be reimbursed with a voucher for the hospital garage.
Additional Information
Funding Source
- Foundation