View clinical trials related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders.
Filter by:Neuropsychological studies investigating trauma-exposed and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subjects have generally underlined the significantly poorer performance of tasks that require attention, concentration, and verbal memory, and difficulty in regulating memories surrounding the traumatic event. A previous study (El Hage et al. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 2006) revealed that the trauma-exposed subjects scored higher on anxiety/depression scales, and lower on processing speed tests. Moreover, the study showed significant impairment in working memory partially mediated by speed processing, but not by anxiety or depression. These results suggest that processing speed makes a major contribution to trauma-related working memory decline, and needs to be investigated in further studies.The aim of the present study is to explore correlation between hippocampus volume, frontal dysfunction and cognitive slowing in trauma-exposed subjects, while examining brain activation during performance of working memory tasks using functional magnetic resonance.
Dr. Laddis will test a hypothesis about the nature and the management of behavioral crises in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The term "behavioral crisis" is used strictly for periods of uncontrollable urges to repeat mental or outward activity, e.g., flashbacks, cutting, binging on food, drugs or sex, with no intervals to rethink one's priorities or to consider others' direction. The clinical hypothesis states, in two steps, that: 1. the perception of a life crisis precedes and then underlies every behavioral crisis; 2. the behavioral crisis resolves promptly and all symptoms end if the clinicians engage the patient about his management of the life crisis that underlies the symptoms.
The goal of this study is to develop and evaluate an innovative model of care to better serve patients who are both HIV-infected and opioid-dependent.
The purpose of this study is to determine if transcranial magnetic stimulation at 1 HZ to the right frontal cortex will decrease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the administration of risperidone is effective in the treatment of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in civilians.
The purpose of this study is to obtain data investigating the safety and efficacy of eszopiclone for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related sleep disturbance and the impact of improved sleep with eszopiclone treatment on neuroendocrine correlates of PTSD. The investigators hypothesize that eszopiclone will be significantly more effective than placebo and well tolerated for PTSD-related sleep disturbance, improvement in sleep will be associated with improvement in overall PTSD symptoms, and patients with PTSD-related sleep disturbances will have abnormal levels of stress hormones.
This is a study investigating immune function and relationships to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to controls without PTSD. The study involves 99 adult veterans and civilian subjects over a 3 year period. The study involves measuring immune and neuroendocrine parameters from blood samples obtained before and after a dexamethasone suppression test. The aim of the study is to determine whether immune alterations exist in PTSD and whether the immune-HPA axis interactions in this disorder are different from non-PTSD subjects with the future aim of studying whether immune dysregulation in PTSD may be linked to the increased risk for medical and psychiatric comorbidity in this population.
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 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.