RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Neuronal Activity during Exposure to Specific Phobia through fMRI: Comparing Therapeutic Components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
A1 Olivares Pérez, Teresa
A1 Fumero, Ascención
A1 Marrero, Rosario
A1 Álvarez Pérez, Yolanda
A1 Pitti González, Carmen
A1 Peñate Castro, Wenceslao
A2 Psicología ClínicaPsicobiología y Metodología
K1 cognitive behavioral therapy
K1 exposure
K1 breathing
K1 self‐verbalization
K1 fMRI
K1 specific phobia
AB Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) packages for anxiety disorders, such as phobias, usually include gradual exposure to anxious contexts, positive self‐verbalizations, and relaxation breathing. The objective of this research was to analyze the specific neural activation produced by the self‐verbalizations (S) and breathing (B) included in CBT. Thirty participants with clinical levels of a specific phobia to small animals were randomly assigned to three fMRI conditions in which individuals were exposed to phobic stimuli in real images: a group underwent S as a technique to reduce anxiety; a second group underwent B; and a control group underwent exposure only (E). Simple effects showed higher brain activation comparing E > S, E > B, and S > B. In particular, in the E group, compared to the experimental conditions, an activation was observed in sensory‐perceptive and prefrontal and in other regions involved in the triggering of emotion (i.e., amygdala, supplementary motor area, and cingulate gyrus) as well as an activation associated with interoceptive sensitivity (i.e., insula and cingulate cortex). According to the specific tool used, discrepancies in the neural changes of CBT efficacy were observed. We discuss the theoretical implications according to the dual model of CBT as a set of therapeutic tools that activate different processes.
SN 2075-1729
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/41018
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/41018
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 13-nov-2025