Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34441804›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2021

Changes in Brain Activation through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Exposure to Virtual Reality: A Neuroimaging Study of Specific Phobia.

Yolanda Álvarez-Pérez, Francisco Rivero, Manuel Herrero, Conrado Viña, Ascensión Fumero, Moisés Betancort, Wenceslao Peñate

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
7.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Yolanda Álvarez-PérezCanary Islands Health Research Institute Foundation (FIISC), 38109 Tenerife, Spain.
Francisco RiveroDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.
Manuel HerreroDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.
Conrado ViñaDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.
Ascensión FumeroDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.
Moisés BetancortDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-7790-8557
Wenceslao PeñateDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-9168-9920
Universidad de La Laguna · ESHealth Research Institute of the Balearic Islands · ES

Funding

European Commission project E-MOTION 1808341802 Erasmus projectMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades projects PSI2013-42912-R and PSI2017-83222-R
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure is the treatment of choice for specific phobia. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has shown benefits for the treatment and prevention of the return of fear in specific phobias by addressing the therapeutic limitations of exposure to real images.

methodThirty-one participants with specific phobias to small animals were included: 14 were treated with CBT + VRET (intervention group), and 17 were treated with CBT + exposure to real images (active control group). Participants' scores in anxiety and phobia levels were measured at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up, and brain activation was measured through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) baseline and post-treatment.

resultsBoth groups showed a significant decrease in anxiety and phobia scores after the therapy and were maintained until follow-up. There were no significant differences between both groups. Overall, fMRI tests showed a significant decrease in brain activity after treatment in some structures (e.g., prefrontal and frontal cortex) and other structures (e.g., precuneus) showed an increasing activity after therapy. However, structures such as the amygdala remained active in both groups.

conclusionsThe efficacy of CBT + VRET was observed in the significant decrease in anxiety responses. However, the results of brain activity observed suggest that there was still a fear response in the brain, despite the significant decrease in subjective anxiety levels.

Indexed as

cognitive-behavioral therapymagnetic resonance imagingspecific phobiavirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID34441804
PMCPMC8397119
OpenAlexW3189789530

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.