View clinical trials related to Stress Disorders, Traumatic.
Filter by:This study will evaluate brain changes and psychological characteristics of people who are resilient to trauma. It will examine and compare responses in three categories of subjects: 1) people who have been exposed to a significant traumatic event and suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severe enough to interfere with their ability to function; 2) people who have been exposed to a significant traumatic event and do not suffer PTSD symptoms severe enough to interfere with their ability to function; and 3) people who have never been exposed to a significant traumatic event. Most people who are exposed to trauma recover well from the adversity. Some may even benefit from it by, for example, gaining greater self-confidence of strengthening personal relationships. Others, however, develop PTSD and may have repeated thoughts, images, and dreams of the trauma; feel upset when reminded of the traumatic event; avoid places or people that remind them of the trauma; feel detached from others; have difficulty sleeping and concentrating; or startle easily. People in the three categories listed above may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical and psychiatric interview, evaluation of emotional intelligence (sensitivity to feelings of others), physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood tests. Participants will undergo the following additional tests and procedures: - 24-hour urine collection and three urine drug screens over the course of the study. - Saliva collection every 2 hours on the day of the urine collection. - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain: Subjects will have three MRI scanning sessions to show brain structure and changes in blood flow in different regions of the brain that are responsible for emotion. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues. During the scan, the subject lies on a table in a narrow cylinder containing a magnetic field and may wear earplugs to muffle loud sounds that occur during the scanning process. While in the scanner, the subject is shown pictures of faces, houses, or words and performs tasks that involve making decisions about the pictures Subjects are also shown pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures; and they are asked to play two games of chance - one that evaluates social cooperation; the other evaluating decision-making. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration are measured during the scans. - Neuropsychological testing: These tests are designed to evaluate memory, learning, attention and concentration, and naming. - Aversive conditioning: This procedure examines how the body reacts to unpleasant stimuli, such as a mildly unpleasant electrical stimulation to the wrist or a loud sound, over time. During the test, heart rate, electrodermal activity (sweat), respiration, finger pulse volume, and eyeblink responses will be measured. A small blood sample will be drawn every 5 minutes to evaluate plasma levels of various stress hormones, including cortisol, neuropeptide Y, norepinephrine, and others. - Genetic and biological testing: Patients who agree to genetic testing will have a blood sample drawn for DNA studies to better understand the biology and pharmacology of PTSD.
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a brief cognitive behavioral therapy, administered by community agencies, for the treatment of patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The purpose of this study is to evaluate acupuncture as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and to correlate the diagnosis of PTSD with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnostic patterns.
The purpose of this study is to develop an effective treatment for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) along with other mental illnesses.
The purpose of this study is to examine the short-term consequences of trauma and to determine the effectiveness of the drug sertraline in preventing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms. ASD and PTSD are common consequences of exposure to traumatic events. Despite growing evidence of neurobiological dysfunction in ASD and PTSD, the origin of these disorders is still unknown. This study will attempt to identify psychophysiological markers of ASD and find an effective treatment for its symptoms. Victims of serious motor vehicle collisions will be evaluated with clinical assessments and standardized questionnaires within 2 weeks after the accident. Symptoms of exaggerated startle, emotional reactivity to trauma-related and trauma-unrelated cues, and cerebellum functioning will be evaluated. Participants will be randomized to receive either sertraline or placebo (an inactive sugar pill) for 8 weeks. Psychometric testing and psychological evaluations will be conducted 4, 10, and 14 weeks after the accident and after a 2-week taper of the study medication.
The purpose of this study is to refine Brief Integrative Therapy (BIT) and to evaluate its effectiveness in treating women with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following childhood sexual abuse. This study will also promote the development of skills that are necessary for increasing quality of life and improving self-esteem.
The purpose of this study is to examine the function of cortisol receptors in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients with PTSD have neurobiological dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. High corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) levels and decreased hippocampal volume are major features of the disorder. The mechanisms responsible for these alterations are not known. This study will evaluate the function of cortisol receptors to determine their roles in maintaining PTSD HPA axis dysregulation. Three groups of subjects will take part in the study: Patients with PTSD, healthy control subjects who were exposed to trauma in the past and remained healthy and healthy control subjects who were never traumatized At study entry, the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of all participants will be sampled and evaluated. Participants will also undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain as well as eye blink trace conditioning and neuropsychological tests. Participants will be admitted to the Clinical Center for two nights on three different occasions. At each overnight visits, blood levels of stress hormones will be measured every hour for 26 hours after medication or placebo are given. This will be the end of the study for both groups of healthy control subjects, with the exception that they may be asked to repeat neuropsychologic and eye blink tests after 12 weeks. Participants with PTSD will receive paroxetine for 10 weeks. After 10 weeks these participants will be reevaluated in exactly the same way as before treatment (except they will not repeat the MRI scan).
The purpose of this study is to determine whether people who develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a trauma have increased sensitivity to the effects of a stress hormone. Patients with PTSD have small hippocampal volume and deficits in hippocampal-mediated memory as compared to healthy people. However, it is unclear whether the smaller hippocampi are a consequence of PTSD or a risk factor for the development of PTSD. Some researchers believe that people who develop PTSD have an increase in cortisol levels during traumatic experiences and that this could be neurotoxic to the hippocampus. Others hypothesize that increased sensitivity of glucocorticoid receptors to cortisol, regardless of the cortisol levels, could lead to neurotoxic damage to the hippocampus. This study will compare responses to a stress hormone in patients with PTSD, participants who have experienced trauma but do not have PTSD, and healthy volunteers. Participants will be screened with a medical and psychiatric interview, physical examination, blood tests, electrocardiogram, and an emotional intelligence evaluation. Those eligible for the study will be asked to collect urine and saliva samples for 3 days. Participation will also include blood draws, a PET scan (brain imaging), an eye-blink test, neuropsychological testing, and other procedures. At another study visit, participants will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (brain imaging), questionnaires, and other procedures.
The purpose of the proposed DVA cooperative study is to evaluate the efficacy of exposure therapy for treating PTSD and associated problems in female veterans and active duty military personnel. We propose to compare exposure therapy, Prolonged Exposure, with a comparison therapy that focuses on current problems, Present Centered Therapy. The study is a randomized clinical trial involving 384 female veterans and active duty personnel in 11 VA medical centers and 1 DoD medical center. All subjects, even self-referrals, will enter the study through referrals by mental health clinicians at the participating sites. Following informed consent, subjects will be screened for inclusion and exclusion diagnoses. If they meet these criteria and agree to participate, they will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments, which will occur weekly for 10 weeks. Subjects will be assessed before treatment, immediately following treatment, and 3 and 6 months after the end of treatment. The primary outcome is PTSD severity. Secondary outcomes are anxiety and depression. Exploratory outcomes include associated features of PTSD, such as dissociation and substance abuse; psychosocial functioning, quality of life, physical health, satisfaction with treatment, and service utilization. Both treatments will be described in detail in a treatment manual and monitored intensively to ensure that they are administered correctly.
Primary Hypothesis: Gulf War veterans will have an equal prevalence or mean level of the following medical and psychological conditions frequently reported in the literature compared to a control group of nondeployed veterans: (1) chronic fatigue syndrome, (2) fibromyalgia, (3) post-traumatic stress disorder, (4) neurologic abnormalities, including peripheral neuropathy and cognitive dysfunction, and (5) general health status.