Actively Recruiting
Perceptual Abnormalities and Their Malleability in BDD
Led by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · Updated on 2025-11-14
146
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
286 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
C
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
A core symptom of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is perceptual distortions for appearance, which contributes to poor insight and delusionality, limits engagement in treatment, and puts individuals at risk for relapse. Results from this study will provide a comprehensive mechanistic model of brain, behavioral, and emotional contributors to abnormal perceptual processing, as well as how malleable it is with visual modulation techniques. This will lay the groundwork for next-step translational perceptual retraining approaches.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Perceptual Abnormalities and Their Malleability in BDD
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Males or females aged 18 to 40 years
- Meet DSM-5 criteria for Body Dysmorphic Disorder with a BDD-YBOCS score of 20 or higher
- Primary appearance concerns focused on the face or head area
- Medication naive or medication free for at least 8 weeks before enrollment
- For subclinical BDD: score of 8 or higher on Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire with face or head concerns
- Healthy controls aged 18 to 40 years with Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire score below 8
You will not qualify if you...
- Current major Axis I disorders including substance use disorders, except anxiety or depressive disorders; BDD must be primary diagnosis
- Lifetime history of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
- Use of psychotropic medications except limited sedative/hypnotic or benzodiazepine use (maximum 3 doses/week) and not on training or MRI days
- Current cognitive-behavioral therapy
- For subclinical BDD: full DSM-5 criteria for BDD or current Axis I disorders
- For healthy controls: any current Axis I disorder, lifetime bipolar or psychotic disorder, or psychiatric medication use
- Neurological disorders
- Pregnancy
- Major medical disorders affecting brain metabolism such as diabetes or thyroid disorders
- Current suicide risk with plan and intent
- Ferromagnetic implants or devices
- Visual acuity worse than 20/35 in each eye (corrective lenses allowed)
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M6J 1H3
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
R
Research Analyst
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
3
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