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Therapeutic Areas: Psychiatry/Psychology
Disease Category: Panic Disorders

Trial Information

Exposure, D-Cycloserine Enhancement, and Genetic Modulators in Panic Disorder

We are currently enrolling individuals in a research study to determine the effectiveness of a combination of therapy and medication for Panic Disorder. Participation includes a 1.5-hour interview, completion of multiple questionnaires, measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, height, and weight, a blood draw, an electrocardiogram (ECG) and collection of a urine sample. Once patients have been determined eligible for the study, they will undergo 5 weekly sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy lasting 1 to 1.5 hours each. During these sessions, patients will receive information on the nature of panic disorder and a model of treatment, and will receive weekly training in how to become more comfortable with sensations of anxiety, with the goal of preventing sensations of anxiety from escalating into panic. As part of this training, patients will practice ways of creating and then becoming comfortable with symptoms in and out of the therapists’ office. For the third, fourth, and fifth sessions of the five-session program of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the patient will be asked to arrive one hour early to take one of the study pill, a 50mg pill of either d-cycloserine or placebo, which participants will be randomly assigned to. A physician will be available in the unlikely event that a patient begins to experience side effects. Before the treatment starts, before the fourth session, and one week after the final session patients will have their levels of symptoms assessed with measures of mood, anxiety, and avoidance. Upon completion of the study, participants will be asked to return for a one-month, two-month, three-month, and six-month follow-up. The study also includes a genetic component, in that blood will be analyzed to see if DNA “markers” can predict which patients did best with which treatment. There will be no cost for your participation in this study.

Rachel Wechsler
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 726-6944
EMail: rwechsler1@partners.org

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