Self-regulation of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Neurocircuitry Using Multiple Sessions of Real-Time Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (RtfMRI)

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating and highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that develops in the aftermath of trauma exposure (APA, 2013). PTSD has been strongly associated with altered activation patterns within several large-scale brain networks and, as such, it has been suggested that normalizing pathological brain activation may be an effective treatment approach. The objective of this proposed study is to investigate the ability of PTSD patients to self-regulate aberrant neural circuitry associated with PTSD psychopathology using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback. Here, the investigators are building upon previous single-session pilot studies examining the regulation of the amygdala and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in PTSD (Nicholson et al., 2021) (Nicholson et al., 2016) by: (1) Examining the effect of multiple sessions of rt-fMRI neurofeedback and, (2) Comparing PCC- and amygdala-targeted rt-fMRI neurofeedback to sham-control groups with regards to changes in PTSD symptoms and neural connectivity.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 65
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• 18-65 years old

• Fluent English speaker

• Comfortable using electronic devices (i.e., laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.)

• Meet criteria for a primary diagnosis of PTSD via the DSM-5 on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5). Note: given high rates of PTSD co-morbidity with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders, these participants will not be excluded from the study, allowing for a naturalistic sample

• Able to provide written informed consent.

Locations
Other Locations
Canada
Lawson Health Research Institute
RECRUITING
London
Contact Information
Primary
Andrew A Nicholson, PhD
dr.andrewnicholson@gmail.com
437-349-9324
Backup
Jonathan M Lieberman, BSc
liebermj@mcmaster.ca
647-501-0510
Time Frame
Start Date: 2023-05-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2025-09
Participants
Target number of participants: 60
Treatments
Experimental: Amygdala
PTSD participants will receive a neurofeedback signal reflecting amygdala activity.
Experimental: Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)
PTSD participants will receive a neurofeedback signal reflecting PCC activity.
Experimental: Sham-control
PTSD participants will receive a sham neurofeedback signal, i.e., from a successful participant in one of the experimental arms.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Andrew Nicholson
Collaborators: University of Ottawa, Western University, McMaster University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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