CIMIT Program: Traumatic Stress Disorders, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Traumatic Stress Disorders

IDENTIFYING NEW METHODS TO CHARACTERIZE AND DIAGNOSE THE UNDERLYING PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDERS INCLUDING PTSD AND DEVELOP NEW THERAPIES, which REDUCE DISABLING SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE

Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition that usually results from severe emotional distress, sometimes in the context of significant physical harm. Particularly for military personnel, the symptoms of traumatic stress disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be combined or confused with the residual symptoms and sequelae of TBI. Current treatment approaches consist primarily of psychoactive medications, psychotherapy and behavioral interventions.

Efforts to objectively demonstrate the presence, quantify the degree and monitor the progress of impairments, (ie; new biological and longitudinal physical sensor-based metrics) are priority areas of focus. These methods could facilitate the testing of novel interventions, such as those that modify brain plasticity.

CIMIT’s Traumatic Stress Disorders Program seeks to expand and improve upon current approaches to diagnosis and treatment. This Program leverages the areas of innovation in the CIMIT Neurotechnology, Trauma & Casualty Care, and TBI & Neurotrauma Programs, recognizing that many patients suffer from combinations of conditions that require clinicians to draw on a range of specialty resources.

Projects
Forum/Events
News

CIMIT-Supported Ongoing & Future Traumatic Stress Disorders Projects
In collaboration with Manchester, MH VA Medical Center

The Effect of Oxytocin on Fear Memory Consolidation: A Novel Intervention to Prevent PTSD

Event-related P2 slope as a predictor of response to SSRIs in a veteran population

Studying pathways by which animals and humans learn not to fear

Studying identical twins discordant for combat exposure in order to clarify the origins of brain and biological abnormalities in PTSD, i.e., innate vs. acquired

Developing psychophysiological and neuroimaging methods for distinguishing injured combat veterans with vs. without PTSD

Utilizing neurological soft signs to distinguish mild traumatic brain injury from PTSD

Utilizing psychophysiology and neuroimaging for early prediction of treatment response

Pioneering novel treatment for PTSD based upon memory “reconsolidation”

Structural neuroimaging using diffusion tensor imaging

» View all CIMIT-Funded Projects.

Related Past CIMIT Forum and Events
EVENT	DATE	SPEAKERS	DETAIL
Forum	Nov. 10, 2009	Eric Bluman, MD, PhD: BWH, Foot and Ankle Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, HMS COL Paul Pasquina, MD: US Army Medical Corps and Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center Matt Mikosz: Hanger, Inc. Henrik Malchau, MD, PhD: MGH and HMS Cathryn Sundback, ScD: MGH Lifei Guo, MD, PhD: BWH and HMS MODERATOR: Joseph S. Barr, Jr., MD: MGH and HMS	Care of the Wounded Warrior: Upper Extremity Injury
Forum	June 9, 2009	Albert “Skip” Rizzo, PhD: Research Scientist and Research Professor, Institute for Creative Technologies and Dept. of Psychiatry/ School of Gerontology, USC	Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan: Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy with Active Duty OIF/OEF Military Personnel with PTSD
Forum: Trauma and Critical Care	Jan. 27, 2009	Matthew J. Martin, MD, FACS: Trauma Medical Director, Associate Residency Director, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington David King, MD: MAJ, MC, USAR, Attending Trauma Surgeon, Attending Emergency General Surgeon, Attending Intensive Care Surgeon and Clinical Instructor in Surgery, MGH, HMS	"The Golden Hour" in Modern Combat Trauma: Different Battlefields, Same Problems Continuity of Combat Casualty Care: The Case for Immediate Technological Improvement
Forum: Unraveling the Brain in Trauma and in Health	Sep. 16, 2008	Van Wedeen, MD: MGH, HMS Marilyn Kraus, MD: University of Illinois at Chicago	Mapping Brain Connectivity with Diffusion MRI The Role of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Traumatic Brain Injury
Forum: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis & Therapy	Apr. 1, 2008	Ross Zafonte, DO: Spaulding Rehab Hospital; MGH; CIMIT Roger Pitman, MD: MGH	Traumatic Brain Injury Clinical Trials from the Past for the Future Neurological Soft Signs in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Traumatic Brain Injury Symposium entitled: Clinical Management and Advanced Treatment for Closed Head Injury	Nov. 15, 2007	Ross Zafonte, DO: Spaulding Rehab Hospital; MGH; CIMIT Lee Schwamm, MD, MGH	Press release: CIMIT, TATRC co-host successful symposium on TBI
Forum: Researchers Focus on Shock and Recovery	Oct. 16, 2007	Carl Hauser, MD, FACE, FCCM; BIDMC, HMS Alfred Ayala, PhD; Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University Wolfgang Junger, PhD; BIDMC, HMS	Post-Resuscitation Injury - Translational Approaches to Cell Signaling in Shock and Resusciation • Neutrophil Calcium Signaling in Shock and Trauma • The Role of Systemic Immune Cell Signaling in Whole Body Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury • Autocrine Regulation of Immune Cell Function • Translational Application of Cell Signaling Biology to the Care of Sick Patients
CIMIT Summer Education Series 2007	Jul. 10, 2007	Christopher Moore, PhD; MIT Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD; Brown University, VA, HMS, MGH	Neurotechnology: Translating Basic Discoveries into Clinical Promise • Deciphering Cortical Electrophysiological Signals and their Applications for Brain-Body Interfaces
Forum: Doctors Discuss Challenges of Traumatic Brain Injury	May 22, 2007	Lee Schwamm, MD; MGH, HMS, MIT Marc de Moya, MD; MGH, HMS Mel Glenn, MD; Spaulding	• Acute and Chronic Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury • A New Model of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Forum: Researchers Discuss Advances in Battlefield Medicine	May 8, 2007	Col. Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD; DARPA, Walter Reed, Johns Hopkins Michael Callahan, MD, BTN & H, MSPH; DARPA	• Trauma Care and Soldier Performance
Forum: Experts Discuss Mass Casualty Incident Response	Apr. 24, 2007	Sandy Bogucki, MD, PhD; Yale, US Dept. of Health & Human Services Sheri Markwardt Harvey Mudd	• Decoding Cortical Electrophysiology for the Detection of Seizures

Related Program News, Press Releases & Literature
ARTICLE TITLE		PUBLICATION	DATE
PTSD: New War on An Old Foe Big changes underway at the VA could mean better treatment for thousands of vets. A bureaucracy in transition		Newsweek	Oct. 1, 2009
CIMIT Statement on the Launching of the Home Base Program – a non-profit partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital		CIMIT Press Release	Sep. 9, 2009
Army’s S&T Efforts Aim to Protect Soldiers’ Minds		USAASC	Oct. 2008
CIMIT, TATRC co-host successful symposium on TBI		CIMIT Press Release	Nov. 15, 2007
A Shock Wave of Brain Injuries		Washingtonpost.com	Apr. 8, 2007
Made-for-the-military Products Put Brakes on Bleeding		CNN.com	Mar. 2, 2007
More in Massachusetts Get Drug for Stroke		Boston Globe	Oct. 20, 2006
	Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice	Book By Nathan D. Zasler, Douglas I. Katz, Ross D. Zafonte	2006

Program Leader
Terence Keane, PhD

CIMIT RESPONSIBILITIES
Program Leader,
Traumatic Stress Disorders

CIMIT Community

What are Deployment- and Combat-Related Stress Disorders?

Deployment- or combat-related stress is a debilitating condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event that causes the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or flashbacks, of the ordeal. Examples of events that can trigger deployment- and combat-related stress are serious accidents, natural disasters, man-made tragedies, violent personal attacks and military combat.

First brought to public attention by war veterans and once referred to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue,” deployment- and combat-related stress often is described as making an individual feel chronically emotionally numb. People with deployment- and combat-related stress experience extreme emotional, mental, and physical distress when exposed to situations that remind them of the traumatic event. Some may repeatedly relive the trauma in the form of nightmares and disturbing recollections during the day. Other common symptoms of deployment- and combat-related stress are sleep problems, irritability, violent outbursts, difficulty working or socializing, depression, lack of interest in activities, difficulty showing affection.

Many people with deployment- and combat-related stress respond well to treatment. Specific treatments are based on age, overall health, medical history, extent of the disease, personal opinions and preferences and expectations for the course of the disorder. Treatment generally consists of ongoing counseling and support for the individual and the family, medication to relieve or eliminate specific symptoms and various other techniques and therapies, including some promising treatments that are currently under investigation.