RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT06218381

The Effects of Very Brief Exposure on PTSD in U.S. Combat Veterans

Sponsor

Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Enrollment

80 participants

Start Date

Mar 22, 2024

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to develop a new behavioral treatment for U.S. combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), very brief exposure to combat-related stimuli. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. How does Very Brief Exposure (combat images and control everyday images) and Visible Exposure to combat stimuli affect brain activity and subjective fear ratings? 2. To what extent are participants aware of the stimuli presented and tolerating the exposures? All participants will view both very brief exposure and visible exposure to combat stimuli in the functional magnetic brain imaging (fMRI) scan. They will provide ratings of fear, awareness, and tolerability. Researchers will compare U.S. combat veterans with PTSD and healthy controls to confirm differences in brain region activation and ratings.

Eligibility

Min Age: 18 YearsMax Age: 50 Years

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This trial is studying the effects of a very brief, brain-stimulation-based therapy on PTSD symptoms in U.S. military combat veterans. The study also includes healthy volunteers (without PTSD) to serve as a comparison group for brain measurements. **You may be eligible if (as a veteran with PTSD)...** - You are aged 18–50 with a DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD - Your trauma is combat-related - You have not been in mental health treatment in the past 6 months - You score above the minimum threshold on PTSD screening questionnaires **You may NOT be eligible if...** - Your combat trauma happened more than 10 years ago - You have a current diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, psychosis, or dementia - You have a traumatic brain injury, seizure disorder, stroke, or other neurological condition - You have severe substance dependence (6 or more DSM-5 symptoms) - You have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder - You are currently pregnant (for the healthy volunteer group) Talk to your doctor to see if this trial is right for you.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

OTHERVery Brief Exposure to Combat Images

In VBE, a series of pictures representing a person's fears (e.g., a combat scene with arousing visuals) is presented very briefly (17 ms), followed by a masking stimulus that prevents conscious recognition of each picture. This sequence of picture-mask stimuli is repeated many times in an exposure session.