Anxiety & Depression Association of America

Caloric Vestibular Stimulation for Modulation of Insight in Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

Purpose

This study investigates whether caloric vestibular stimulation can modulate a measure of insight in obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorders
Illness Anxiety Disorder

Eligibility

Eligible Ages: Between 18 Years and 65 Years
Eligible Genders: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Inclusion Criteria

Age 18-65 - Primary diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Illness Anxiety Disorder or Somatic Symptom Disorder (excluding "with predominant pain") - Strongly held OCRD-related concerns meeting BABS score criterion. - No recent change in psychopharmacological treatment, if any - Capacity to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

Psychiatric or medical conditions (eg, vertigo, history of otological surgery) that might make participation unsafe - Pregnant or nursing women - Active or recent substance use

Study Design

Phase: N/A
Study Type: Interventional
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention Model Description: randomized, controlled crossover study
Primary Purpose: Other
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

Arm	Description	Assigned Intervention
Experimental right cold caloric vestibular stimulation	OCRD participants in this arm will receive an approx 60 second infusion of distilled cold(4)c water in their right external ear canal, with before and after measures of OCRD symptom severity and insight.	Other: Caloric Vestibular Stimulation Cold water creates a convection current in the semicircular canal of the vestibular apparatus, leading to brief (<3 min) and typically well tolerated sense of rotational movement. Similar stimulation is routinely used in standard vestibular diagnostic testing.
Experimental left cold caloric vestibular stimulation	OCRD participants in this arm will receive an approx 60 second infusion of distilled cold(4)c water in their left external ear canal, with before and after measures of OCRD symptom severity and insight.	Other: Caloric Vestibular Stimulation Cold water creates a convection current in the semicircular canal of the vestibular apparatus, leading to brief (<3 min) and typically well tolerated sense of rotational movement. Similar stimulation is routinely used in standard vestibular diagnostic testing.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status: Recruiting
Sponsor: Stanford University

Study Contact

Pavithra Mukunda, MS
650-723-4095
ocdresearch@stanford.edu

Detailed Description

Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD), including obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, are chronic and disabling conditions characterized by recurrent intrusive thoughts and associated compulsive behaviors that affect millions of individuals in the US each year. Individuals affected by OCRD differ in insight, or the degree to which they understand their intrusive thoughts to reflect illness. Impairments in insight limit individuals' motivation to engage in care and predict worse outcome in those who access treatment. This study seeks to explore whether unilateral stimulation of the vestibular system, which activates cortical areas hypothesized to underlie clinical insight, may beneficially modulate insight in individuals with OCRD.