Mechanisms Underlying the Efficacy of Prolonged Exposure

Status Not yet recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The primary objective of this research is to collect pilot data that demonstrates that proposed neural, psychophysiological and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aims of the study are to: (1) examine theoretically informed mechanisms as pre-treatment predictors of PE treatment efficacy, (2) characterize how neural, psychophysiological, and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of PE, and (3) examine proposed mechanisms of change as measures of PE treatment efficacy. This is a longitudinal study of predictors of exposure therapy efficacy that will be conducted within the context of a standard 10 session PE treatment trial, with independent multimodal assessment batteries administered at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, post-treatment, and at 1-month follow-up. This data will be used to support a future NIMH and/or VA grant submission.

Clinical Trial Description

Proposed research sets to collect pilot data to examine how the proposed neural, psychophysiological and subjective markers measured before, during, and after treatment change over the course of Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fifty participants will be screened with the goal of obtaining 15 participants to complete the study. Participants will complete ten 60-minute sessions of PE. During each PE session, participants will be outfitted with a NINscan device to record psychophysiological measures including skin conductance, heart rate, and facial EMG, as well as neural measures of LPFC activity. Multimodal assessment batteries will be scheduled to take place at pre-treatment, mid-treatment (i.e., post session 5), post-treatment (i.e., post-session 10), and at 1-month follow-up. These sessions will include a battery of self-report measures, clinician-administered diagnostic interviews, and script-driven imagery (SDI) procedures with physiologic and neural recordings. The primary outcome measure will be PTSD symptom change on the CAPS-5 and the secondary outcome measures will be a) change in self-reported symptom severity, b) premature treatment dropout, and c) change in psychophysiological reactivity and LPFC activity during the SDI procedures. This proposed research will inform theoretical models of exposure therapy efficacy, with the goal of enhancing prolonged exposure therapy. ;

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT05663151
Study type	Interventional
Source	VA Boston Healthcare System
Contact	Suzanne Pineles, PhD
Phone	857-364-5906
Email	suzanne.pineles@va.gov
Status	Not yet recruiting
Phase	N/A
Start date	January 1, 2023
Completion date	January 1, 2025

View Details

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Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.