# Unconscious reduction of fear through decoded neuro-reinforcement

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2024 · $728,237

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The gold standard treatment for specific phobias is exposure therapy, wherein the individual
repeatedly faces the object of their fear. However, for many patients, the level of distress
prohibits them from either starting or completing exposure therapy. The objective of this
application is to use focal neuro-reinforcement based on decoded fMRI information (from the
ventral temporal temporal cortex) to reduce fear responses to feared animal stimuli (e.g.,
spiders, birds) in individuals with phobias, directly and unconsciously in the brain, without
repeatedly consciously exposing participants to their feared stimuli. Because the induced
representations are unconscious, participants do not experience negative emotional responses
and the procedure is double-blind placebo-controlled, thus providing a level of experimental
rigor not afforded to standard psychological therapies. Extending from our pilot data, we are
positioned to test the mechanisms and behavioral outcomes of a novel treatment for phobias
that at the same time advances our understanding of the role of consciousness in fear
responses and their change over time. The specific aims are to: (1) confirm that our method
engages the neurobiological target (amygdala reactivity to images of feared animals) in a
population of individuals with specific phobias of animals; (2) quantify how changes in amygdala
reactivity with neuro-reinforcement mediate changes in behavioral outcomes, as measured by
attentional capture, approach/avoidance behavior, or subjective fear ratings, immediately post
neuro-reinforcement; (3) assess the longer term effects four weeks after neuro-reinforcement;
and (4) explore the impact of three dosage levels of neuro-reinforcement to identify the optimal
dosage for future research. If proven effective, the results will inform applications for other fear-
related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic
disorder.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10789328
- **Project number:** 1R33MH135002-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHELLE G CRASKE
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $728,237
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-15 → 2027-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10789328

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10789328, Unconscious reduction of fear through decoded neuro-reinforcement (1R33MH135002-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10789328. Licensed CC0.

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