NCT05261594

Effects of Caffeine on Anxiety, Emotional Processing, Approach-avoidance Behavior, and Interoception in Panic Disorder

Completed NA Last updated 19 April 2023

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Caffeine in Panic Disorder in 83 participants. Completed in 19 March 2023.

Timeline

16 March 2022

Primary endpoint
19 March 2023

19 March 2023

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Uppsala University
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	double
Primary purpose	basic science
Enrollment	83
Start date	16 March 2022
Primary completion	19 March 2023
Estimated completion	19 March 2023
Sites	1 location across Sweden

Drugs / interventions tested

• Caffeine (caffeine) — full drug profile →
• Placebo

Conditions studied

• Panic Disorder — all drugs for Panic Disorder →
• Healthy — all drugs for Healthy →

Sponsor

Uppsala University

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Panic Disorder or Healthy. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The current study is a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized controlled study using a cross-over design, including participants with Panic disorder and healthy controls.

The study's primary aim is to investigate the effects of caffeine (vs placebo) on self-reported anxiety and its impact on emotional reactivity and goal-directed behavior in individuals with Panic disorder (vs healthy controls). Emotional reactivity will be measured with self-reported emotions and skin conductance responses. Caffeine-induced effects on goal-directed behavior will be assessed using an approach-avoidance conflict paradigm and an effort-allocation task. The occurrence of panic attacks and panic-related symptoms will also be measured. Furthermore, the link between a genotype of ADORA2A (rs5751876 T/T) previously associated with caffeine-induced anxiety, and the anxiogenic effects of caffeine will also be explored. In addition, caffeine-induced changes in attention to interoceptive stimuli (bodily sensation such as pulse and respiration) and anxiety elicited by attention to interoceptive stimuli will be explored. A secondary aim is to examine the potential caffeine-induced effects and the impact of genetic variation in healthy participants (caffeine vs placebo).

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Acute effects of 150 mg caffeine on subjective, physiological, and behavioral components of anxiety in panic disorder and healthy controls - A randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial.
   Hoppe JM, Björkstrand J, Vegelius J, Klevebrant L, et al · · 2025 · PMID 40577029 · DOI 10.1177/02698811251344692