Neurobiology of Severe Psychological Trauma in Women

University of California, San Diego1 site in 1 country41 target enrollmentJanuary 2008

ConditionsPosttraumatic Stress Disorder

Overview

Phase: Not Applicable
Intervention: Not specified
Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Sponsor: University of California, San Diego
Enrollment: 41
Locations: 1
Primary Endpoint: Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)
Status: Completed
Last Updated: 14 years ago

Overview Investigators Eligibility Criteria Outcomes Sites Similar Trials

Overview

Brief Summary

Identifying neural mechanisms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment could help elucidate reasons for variable treatment response and identify novel treatment targets. Exposure-based therapies have been associated with decreased amygdala and increased cingulate cortex response during emotional processing. The current study examined whether cognitive therapy for PTSD in women reduces activation in insula and amygdala and enhances activation in prefrontal regions during emotional anticipation and pre-treatment prefrontal activation predicts treatment response.

Registry

clinicaltrials.gov

Start Date

January 2008

End Date

December 2010

Last Updated

14 years ago

Study Type

Interventional

Study Design

Single Group

Sex

Female

Investigators

Sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Responsible Party

Principal Investigator

Murray B. Stein

Professor

University of California, San Diego

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

•Intimate partner violence (IPV) trauma defined as physical and/or sexual abuse committed by a romantic partner, occurring within five years of, but having ended at least one month prior to, enrollment in the study.
•Seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and meeting full or partial Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for PTSD prior to treatment, verified through the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS).

Exclusion Criteria

•Substance abuse in the past year
•History of \>2 years of alcohol abuse
•Use of psychotropic medications within 4 weeks prior to the study, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, irremovable ferromagnetic bodily material, pregnancy, or claustrophobia.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS)

Time Frame: After 10 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (10-14 weeks)

The CAPS is a widely used measure of PTSD severity. Intent was to administer 10 sessions of CBT over a period of 10-14 weeks. Primary outcome was CAPS at the end of CBT administration.