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RECRUITING

NCT06218381

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

Sponsor: Children's Hospital Los Angeles

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

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.

Key Details

Gender

All

Age Range

18 Years - 50 Years

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

Start Date

2024-03-22

Completion Date

2027-07

Last Updated

2025-12-18

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

OTHER

Very 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.

Inclusion Criteria: Patient Population * Males and females ages 18-50 * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis of PTSD * Traumatic event is a combat-based experience (e.g., being injured, watching a buddy be killed) * Minimum score of 18 on the Combat Experience Scale (CES) * Minimum score of 3 or more on Primary Care (PC)-PTSD-5 * Participants with other cooccurring psychiatric disorders (e.g., anxiety, ADHD) will be included to ensure a representative sample. Healthy Population • Males and Females, ages 18-50 Exclusion Criteria: Patient Population * Treatment for PTSD, substance abuse, or mental health concerns in the past 6 months * 10 or more years since the combat trauma * Acute intoxication * Severe level of Substance Dependence (6 or more DSM-V symptoms) * Prior diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorders * Current or past psychotic disorders or active psychotic symptoms * Current Bipolar I Disorder * Dementia * Neurological or serious medical conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy/ seizure disorder, cancer, Lupus, HIV+); * Traumatic brain injury Healthy Population * Ferromagnetic implants (e.g., pacemaker), metal braces, retainers, tattoos or permanent make up w/ metallic content, transdermal medicinal patches that cannot be removed * Neurological or serious medical conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy/ seizure disorder, cancer, Lupus, HIV+); * Lifetime Diagnosis of PTSD, Tourette's Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Substance Dependence, Eating Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, a psychotic disorder, Acute Stress Disorder * Lifetime history of traumatic event defined as a life-threatening event involving physical attack, guns, fire or explosion (i.e the kinds of traumatic events combat veterans are likely to experience) * Traumatic Brain Injury * Birth at less than 37 weeks gestational age * Claustrophobia * Anxiety Disorder, Mood Disorder, Substance Abuse Disorder, Adjustment Disorder in past 2 years * Treatment for mental health concern in past 2 years * Pregnant Females

Locations (1)

Brain Imaging Lab

Los Angeles, California, United States