Clinical Research Directory

TMS for PTSD in Youth

The purpose of this study is to test whether transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is an acceptable and helpful treatment for ongoing symptoms of posttraumatic stress syndrome disorder (PTSD) in 12-20 year olds. Ongoing PTSD refers to symptoms that continue after completing trauma-focused psychotherapy. About 1 in 4 patients need additional help to overcome PTSD after completing psychotherapy. Currently, scientists do not know the best way to help adolescents with persistent PTSD, and this study will test TMS as a possible treatment, and hopefully lead to future studies including more people.

Type I Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of Primary Care Brief Mindfulness Training for Veterans

The VA wants to understand what type of integrative and whole health approaches are helpful for Veterans. The study is comparing two primary care based mental health treatments, a mindfulness class that teaches mindfulness meditation and a problem-solving class that teaches problem-solving skills and how to build resilience, for Veterans who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or PTSD. The goal of the study is to understand if the classes reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or PTSD and increase overall functioning.

Suvorexant for Treatment of AUD and PTSD

This study is to determine if suvorexant (SUV) will reduce insomnia in 76 men and women veteran and non-veterans between the ages 21-65 with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use disorder (AUD). All participants will have a 7-day placebo run-in period, followed by a random assignment to receive placebo or suvorexant for an additonal 14 days. Post-randomization, participants will attempt to stop drinking for two weeks and will complete daily virtual diaries and study outcome assessments via in-person clinic visits on days 7 and 14.

Identification of Markers of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Relapse

Relapse of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains challenging. In addition, factors predicting PTSD relapse are still unknown. The aim of this study is to examine whether clinical and neuropsychological changes (e.g., attentional bias toward aversive cues) that characterized PTSD can be observed in people with past PTSD (children and their families) and whether these persistent changes are predictive of PTSD relapse.

Open Trial of Trauma-focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for People Living With HIV and PTSD

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis than the general population. Comorbid PTSD is also associated with negative HIV-related health outcomes. Unfortunately, little outcome research has examined the usefulness of PTSD treatments for PTSD. This pilot study adapts for PLWH a non-exposure based psychotherapy for PTSD focused on reflecting on one's emotions and relationships and understanding and working through how trauma may have disrupted them. The study team is interested in better understanding the needs of PLWH with PTSD, learning whether PLWH with PTSD find this treatment acceptable and helpful, and beginning to understand the relationship between HIV-related health factors (e.g., inflammation and stress biology) and PTSD, and how these health factors may improve during treatment.

Clinical Trial for Alcohol Use Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This is a randomized controlled Phase II clinical trial designed to evaluate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in reducing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) severity and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology among individuals with current AUD and PTSD.

Neuromodulation + Prolonged Exposure Therapy: Evaluation of a Technology-Enhanced, Integrated Treatment for Pain and PTSD

The purpose of this study is to examine comparative effectiveness of two home-based telemedicine delivered interventions: transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) combined with Massed Prolonged Exposure (Massed-PE) vs. Sham tDCS combined with Massed PE, focusing on pain and PTSD outcomes, to determine the comparative effectiveness of the two interventions on process outcomes of patient satisfaction, treatment attrition, and treatment compliance and to explore changes in blood biomarkers associated with stress and inflammatory processes related to pain and PTSD symptom improvements following treatment.

Targeted Accelerated TMS for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent and debilitating condition among veterans and active-duty military personnel, with rates as high as 30% in certain combat-exposed populations. Conventional treatments such as prolonged exposure therapy and pharmacotherapy have limited efficacy and high dropout rates, highlighting the need for novel, rapidly effective interventions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been well established for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Traditional TMS, which involves 6 to 7 weeks of daily, weekday scalp-targeted treatment, shows open-label response and remission rates of 58.1% and 30%, respectively. However, such protocols may be impractical for military personnel with limited medical leave. A new form of accelerated TMS (aTMS) that involves 10 imaging-guided treatments per day for 5 consecutive days has demonstrated substantial antidepressant benefits within days and response rates of 69% at 1-month follow-up. This protocol has not been tested for PTSD, in part because there was no causally informed brain circuit target. In this study, the investigators will test aTMS for PTSD using a novel PTSD circuit that the investigators have derived.

Effect of Sublingual Formulation of Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride (HCl) (BXCL501) - Outpatient Study

The overall objective of the proposed study is to determine if Dexmedetomidine HCl (BXCL501) is safe for treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an outpatient setting and also shows potential signals of efficacy thereby supporting the conduct of later phase clinical trials.

Brexanolone to Target Concurrent PTSD and Stress Induced Alcohol Use in Veterans: A Dose Finding Study

The purpose of this research study is to find out how Zulresso®/brexanolone influences Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use.

Hexadecanal as an Addon to Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD

This RCT investigates whether Cognitive Processing Therapy, a first line treatment for PTSD, can be enhanced by the use of the odor molecule Hexadecenal (HEX). HEX is secreted from body odor and has been shown to promotes psychological well-being and positive social interaction. For the active group Hex will be diffused in the treatment room during all treatment sessions. For the control group a vehicle placebo molecule will be diffused. Both therapists and patients will be blind to study condition.

Quest to Analyze One Thousand Humans Meditating

This study will be focused on assessing the molecular, physiological, and emotional correlates of an intensive meditation experience in the context of a retreat setting in a large 2000 plus-person cohort comprised of healthy and clinical populations.