Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40611440›Full record

Trial reportPsychology and psychotherapy2025

Disentangling eye movement desensitization and reprocessing mechanisms of action: The impact of eye movements in the eye blink conditioning task.

Daniel Folch-Sanchez, Chrysanthi Blithikioti, Laura Nuño, Pablo Barrio, Roger Borràs, Laura Blanco, Flavia Piazza, Mercè Balcells-Oliveró, Laia Miquel

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psychology and psychotherapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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

9 authors.

Daniel Folch-SanchezHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-2664-2955
Chrysanthi BlithikiotiDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Laura NuñoHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Pablo BarrioHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Roger BorràsInstitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
Laura BlancoHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Flavia PiazzaHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Mercè Balcells-OliveróHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Laia MiquelHealth and Addictions Research Group; Addictions Unit. Psychiatry and Psychology Service, ICN, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Funding

Instituto de Salud Carlos III
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesEye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the therapeutic mechanisms underlying eye movements (EM) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of horizontal EM on fear extinction learning in healthy individuals, using an Eye Blink Conditioning (EBC) task. This experimental paradigm has been widely used to explore associative fear learning and memory as a form of classical conditioning.

methodsHealthy participants were included to the study protocol and divided randomly into two groups. The EM group (n = 20) were asked to follow horizontally the experimenter's moving finger at the beginning of the extinction phase and the control group (n = 19) did not engage in any specific task. Sociodemographic and clinical information was collected. Percentage of conditioned response (CR) occurrence, time of onset and intensity between and within groups over longitudinal time were analysed using generalized multilevel mixed effects for repeated measures.

resultsResults showed accelerated extinction learning in the EM group, with an 18.2% probability of CR occurrence in the first block of extinction, compared to the control group (40.9%) (p-value = .007).

conclusionsThe findings indicate that horizontal EM accelerates the extinction process in the EBC task. Therefore, this paradigm, used for studying associative learning and memory, could serve as an objective measure to investigate the mechanisms of action involved in desensitizing traumatic experiences during EMDR treatment.

Indexed as

BlinkingConditioning, ClassicalExtinction, PsychologicalEye Movement Desensitization ReprocessingEye MovementsFearAdultFemaleHumansMaleYoung Adultconditioned responseeye blink conditioning taskeye movement desensitization and reprocessingeye movementsfear extinction learning

Identifiers

PMID40611440
PMCPMC12617497

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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.