Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
Behavior Therapy01:22

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Cognitive Therapy01:25

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy, pioneered by Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s, is a structured approach to addressing psychological distress by focusing on the influence of thoughts on emotions and behaviors. All cognitive therapies involve the basic assumption that human beings have control over their feelings, and that how individuals feel about something depends on how they think about it. Unlike psychoanalytic methods that delve into unconscious processes or humanistic approaches emphasizing...
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior01:28

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...
Preparedness and Phobias01:09

Preparedness and Phobias

Human fear responses to certain stimuli, such as darkness, heights, deep water, and blood, can often arise despite the absence of direct negative experiences. This phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary psychology, which posits that humans have developed a predisposition to fear stimuli that historically posed significant survival threats. This predisposition, known as preparedness, suggests that early humans who developed a fear of potentially dangerous entities, such as venomous snakes and...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder01:27

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The effects of a salsa dance intervention in young people with mild to moderately severe depressive symptoms.

Psychological medicine·2026
Same author

The relationship between renin-angiotensin system-modulating medication and depression: a systematic review.

Translational psychiatry·2026
Same author

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of orally administered S-ketamine in healthy participants.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)·2026
Same author

Sustained pharmacodynamic effects of S-ketamine on cortical excitability and resting-state brain activity: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

British journal of clinical pharmacology·2026
Same author

The effect of acute angiotensin receptor blockade on subjective and biological markers of stress response.

Psychoneuroendocrinology·2026
Same author

Effects of acute ebselen add-on treatment on resting state function connectivity in depressed patients with inadequate response to antidepressants.

Scientific reports·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Changes in automatic threat processing precede and predict clinical changes with exposure-based cognitive-behavior

Andrea Reinecke1, Lara Waldenmaier, Myra J Cooper

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. andrea.reinecke@psych.ox.ac.uk

Biological Psychiatry
|March 21, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) quickly improves threat vigilance in patients with panic disorder. These early changes in automatic processing predict long-term symptom reduction, suggesting faster action than previously believed.

More Related Videos

Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure
08:20

Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure

Published on: January 18, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 13, 2026

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat
11:18

Using the Threat Probability Task to Assess Anxiety and Fear During Uncertain and Certain Threat

Published on: September 12, 2014

Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure
08:20

Simultaneous Application of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Virtual Reality Exposure

Published on: January 18, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychiatry

Background:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for emotional disorders, but its mechanisms remain unclear.
  • A prevailing view suggests psychological treatments alter conscious thought before impacting automatic processes.
  • This study investigates early changes in emotional information processing during CBT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of immediate alterations in emotional information processing in CBT's effectiveness.
  • To determine if early changes in automatic processing predict treatment outcomes in panic disorder.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-eight patients with panic disorder were assigned to either exposure-based CBT or a waiting group.
  • Emotional information processing was assessed using an attentional visual probe task post-intervention.
  • Clinical symptoms were evaluated immediately after intervention and at 4-week follow-up.

Main Results:

  • The CBT group showed reduced vigilance for threat cues the day after intervention, preceding symptom decrease.
  • This early reduction in threat vigilance correlated with the degree of therapeutic response at 4 weeks.
  • No significant changes were observed in the waiting group.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy rapidly influences automatic emotional processing, specifically threat sensitivity.
  • Early changes in automatic processing serve as a predictor for subsequent therapeutic improvement.
  • Findings challenge the traditional view of psychological treatments acting solely on conscious thought first and suggest similarities with psychopharmacological treatments.