Clinical Trial: Retraining Body and Brain to Conquer Compulsions
Study Status: Not yet recruiting
Recruit Status: Not yet recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Retraining the Body and Brain to Conquer Compulsions
Brief Summary:
Following the realisation that many aspects of the way we live our life, such as our diet, activity levels, and amount of screen time, can have a potent impact on mental health and brain functioning 'lifestyle' based interventions have become topical in medical research. In particular, much scientific attention has been devoted to the impact of physical exercise and various stress reduction techniques on mood disorders. We aim to extend this work and investigate their impact on compulsivity.
We will do this by conducting a pilot proof-of-principal intervention study. The study will compare the impact of eight-weeks of:
- regular physical exercise + stress management activity A,
- regular physical exercise + stress management activity B,
- lifestyle as usual.
The participant cohort will be adults who endorse mild-moderate behavioural compulsivity on one of the following domains:
- drinking alcohol
- gambling
- eating
- washing or cleaning
- checking
- ordering or arranging objects
Detailed Summary:
This study is investigating the impact of regular physical exercise and stress management activities on mental health and brain function. It is specifically focusing on how engaging in these activities might impact activity in brain circuits associated with compulsivity, and help to reduce compulsive patterns of behaviour.
A compulsive behaviour is something that we do regularly, feel pressured to do, and have difficulty stopping even though it is not benefiting us. Having compulsive patterns of behaviour is very common. It's been estimated that as many as 80% of the general population experience compulsivity at some point in their lives. That's most of us! Compulsive behaviours range in severity from mild to entrenched, and can take many forms. For example, gambling too often or washing ones hands excessively. For some people what starts out as a mild pattern of behaviour, such as a glass of wine every night after a stressful day, can develop into a problem, like alcohol dependence. As so many people experience mild to moderate compulsivity it would be helpful to have accessible evidence-based strategies that reduce compulsive tendencies.
One promising candidate is physical exercise. In addition to the well-known physical health benefits, regular exercise also has a potent positive effect on brain health and mental well being. Other candidates are specific stress management activities. Certain stress management techniques, such as brain training, meditation, psycho-education, music therapy, yoga, and guided relaxation, can promote optimal mental health, improve cognitive functioning and help keep the body's physiological arousal systems within a healthy range. Some stress management activities may also help to reduce compulsive behavioural patterns. Importantly, as physical exercise increases neuroplasticity (i.e. malleab
Sponsor: Monash University
Current Primary Outcome: Change in hippocampal integrity [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months) ]
Original Primary Outcome: Same as current
Current Secondary Outcome:
- Change in functional activation during reward processing [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months) ]fMRI Monetary Incentive Delay Task
- Change in cortisol awakening reponse [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Salivary cortisol
- Change in affective processing bias [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]BeanFest
- Change in risky decision making [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Balloon Analogue Risk Task
- Change in behavioral compulsivity [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Transdiagnositc YBOCS
- Change in psychosocial well being [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Battery of self-report mental health and well being questionnaires assessing: symptoms of depression and anxiety, experiential avoidance, tolerance of uncertainly, impulsivity, obsession beliefs, well being, self efficacy, quality of life, and quality of inter-personal support.
- Change in physical fitness [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]VO2 max
Original Secondary Outcome:
- Change in functional activation during reward processing [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months) ]fMRI Monetary Incentive Delay Task
- Change in cortisol awakening reponse [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Salivary cortisol
- Change in affective processing bias [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]BeanFest
- Change in risky decision making [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Balloon Analouge Risk Task
- Change in behavioral compulsivity [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Transdiagnositc YBOCS
- Change in psychosocial well being [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]Battery of self-report mental health and well being questionnaires assessing: symptoms of depression and anxiety, experiential avoidance, tolerance of uncertainly, impulsivity, obsession beliefs, well being, self efficacy, quality of life, and quality of inter-personal support.
- Change in physical fitness [ Time Frame: Baseline (0 months), post (2 months), follow up (three months) ]VO2 max
Information By: Monash University
Dates:
Date Received: February 23, 2017
Date Started: March 15, 2017
Date Completion: June 15, 2020
Last Updated: February 28, 2017
Last Verified: February 2017
