Glucocorticoid Treatment for Social Phobia

Social phobia is the third most common psychiatric disorder besides depression and alcoholism. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of social phobia. Nevertheless, there is no effect in a third of the people at the existing treatment methods. Pharmacological therapies have similar effects, but there is a high rate of relapse after discontinuation of medication.

Social phobia is characterized by fear of performance or interaction situations. The strong fear of negative evaluation by others is usually accompanied by a marked avoidance behavior and increased physical symptoms such as blushing, sweating, palpitations, or tremors. The confrontation with a phobic stimulus leads to a retrieval of stimulus-associated aversive memories, resulting in an immediate anxiety response. Several studies had already shown that elevated glucocorticoids impair retrieval of declarative memory contents in healthy subjects. The investigators demonstrated an anxiety-reducing effect after the administration of cortisone before the confrontation with a phobic stimulus in patients with social and spider phobia.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Phobic Disorders; Phobias
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: CBGT; Drug: Hydrocortisone; Drug: Placebo

Detailed Description

Background

Anxiety disorders have major public health significance and social phobia ranks as the third most common mental health disorder after depression and alcoholism. Even though cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective non-pharmacological approach to the treatment of social phobia, more than one third of the patients do not respond to treatment, or achieve only partial remission of symptoms. Pharmacotherapy (e.g., SSRIs, benzodiazepines) has been shown to be effective in the acute treatment of social phobia, however, with high rates of relapse when medication is discontinued. In addition, the combination of CBT and medication does not seem to be more beneficial than CBT alone. Consequently, the development of innovative psychobiological approaches combining effective psychotherapy methods with synergizing substance administration is a primary challenge in interdisciplinary research on treatment of social phobia.

In a recent study the investigators found evidence that a pharmacological elevation of glucocorticoid levels reduces fear in patients with social phobia and spider phobia exposed to a phobic stimulus. Furthermore, the investigators have shown that repeated administration of glucocorticoids before exposure to a phobic stimulus leads to an extinction of phobic fear. Also the low-dose administration of cortisone over a month in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder reduces cardinal of symptoms the disorder. Based on these findings, glucocorticoid treatment, in combination with exposure therapy, may help to reduce fear and promote extinction of phobic fear.

In an interdisciplinary research project involving psychology, behavioral pharmacology psychiatry, genetics and neuroimaging the investigators propose to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of combining an exposure-based cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) with hydrocortisone treatment. The investigators hypothesize that hydrocortisone exerts both acute beneficial effects by reducing fear during exposure, and long-term beneficial effects by facilitating the extinction of phobic fear. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize differential treatment responses depending on genetic variations in glucocorticoid-related genes (substudy 1). These hypotheses will be tested in a clinical study with 100 patients with mainly speech anxiety who fulfill DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of social phobia and 60 patients with spider phobia.

This is the first study aimed at determining the therapeutic efficacy of combining hydrocortisone administration and a short-term exposure-based cognitive-behavioral group therapy for the treatment of social phobic patients with specific speech anxiety and patients with spider phobia. Considering the large number of patients suffering from social phobia, the suggested interdisciplinary project will have important clinical implications for the development of a more effective therapy.

Objective

To determine whether short-term treatment with 20 mg hydrocortisone enhances the efficacy of exposure-based cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) in patients with social phobia, specifically speech anxiety and patients with spider phobia.

A series of studies indicate that elevated glucocorticoid levels inhibit the retrieval of memory in healthy humans. Further the low-dose administration of glucocorticoids over a month inhibited the retrieval of traumatic memories in patients with post traumatic stress disorder. These findings suggest that glucocorticoids might also inhibit retrieval of fear memory in phobia and social phobia exposed to a phobic stimulus. Additionally, the investigators found evidence indicating that repeated administration of glucocorticoids before exposure to a phobic stimulus leads to an extinction of phobic fear. Based on these findings, glucocorticoid treatment, in combination with exposure therapy, may help to reduce fear and promote extinction of phobic fear.

Methods

In a placebo-controlled double-blind study design, patients will be randomly assigned to receive CBGT + hydrocortisone (Social Phobia: N=50 / Spider Phobia: N=30) or CBGT + placebo (Social Phobia: N=50 / Spider Phobia: N=30). Psychopathological symptoms and stress reactivity will be assessed by psychometric and endocrine parameters before, during and after CBGT therapy. The patients have further the possibility to attend to a neuroimaging study, in which the investigators examine and localize the anxiolytic effect of acute glucocorticoid administration in the brain (substudy 2). In this substudy 2 the investigators compare the patients with social phobia with patients with specific spider phobia and healthy controls as they did in their previous studies (Soravia et al. 2006).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 66
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3060
    • Dep. of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 55 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age (20-55)
• Spider Phobia
• Right Handed
• Social Phobia

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other Psychiatric Disorder / Comorbidities
• Smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day
• Medication
• Contraceptives
• Physical illness
• Neurological disease
• Drug abuse

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: TRIPLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: 1: CBGT & Hydrocortisone	Behavioral: CBGT; Cognitive-behavioral group therapy; Drug: Hydrocortisone; 3 x 20 mg Hydrocortisone (oral, 60 min. before MRI1, 60 min. before exposition in CBGT1 and 60 min. before exposition in CBGT2)
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: 2: CBGT & Placebo	Behavioral: CBGT; Cognitive-behavioral group therapy; Drug: Placebo; Placebo (oral, 60 min. before MRI1, 60 min. before exposition in CBGT1 and 60 min. before exposition in CBGT2)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in spider phobia symptoms / social phobia symptoms	measured by various standardized questionnaires	at follow-up visit, expected to be after 3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from baseline in state and trait anxiety	measured by standardized questionnaires	1-3 weeks before treatment, 4 weeks after treatment, 3 months after treatment
Change from baseline in personality traits	measured by standardized questionnaires	1-3 weeks before treatment
Change from baseline in amygdala activation	measured by several magnetic resonance sequences	1-3 weeks before treatment, 4 weeks after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital Inselspital, Berne
• Collaborators: University of Basel
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Leila M Soravia, PhD, Department of Psychiatric Neurophysiology, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Soravia LM, de Quervain DJ, Heinrichs M. Glucocorticoids do not reduce subjective fear in healthy subjects exposed to social stress. Biol Psychol. 2009 Jul;81(3):184-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.04.001. Epub 2009 Apr 11.
• de Quervain DJ, Roozendaal B, Nitsch RM, McGaugh JL, Hock C. Acute cortisone administration impairs retrieval of long-term declarative memory in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2000 Apr;3(4):313-4. doi: 10.1038/73873. No abstract available.
• de Quervain DJ, Roozendaal B, McGaugh JL. Stress and glucocorticoids impair retrieval of long-term spatial memory. Nature. 1998 Aug 20;394(6695):787-90. doi: 10.1038/29542.
• Aerni A, Traber R, Hock C, Roozendaal B, Schelling G, Papassotiropoulos A, Nitsch RM, Schnyder U, de Quervain DJ. Low-dose cortisol for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Aug;161(8):1488-90. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.161.8.1488.
• Soravia LM, Schwab S, Weber N, Nakataki M, Wiest R, Strik W, Heinrichs M, de Quervain D, Federspiel A. Glucocorticoid administration restores salience network activity in patients with spider phobia. Depress Anxiety. 2018 Oct;35(10):925-934. doi: 10.1002/da.22806. Epub 2018 Aug 12.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): March 1, 2012
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): April 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 14, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 5, 2012
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): April 10, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): December 5, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2012
• Last Verified: December 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Anxiety Disorder; Phobic Disorders
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Phobia, Social; Phobic Disorders; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Hydrocortisone
• Other Study ID Numbers: 161/07; 32003B_124947 (OTHER_GRANT: SNF); 2008DR2002 (OTHER: Swissmedic)