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Accepting Pre-proposals Jan. 1 - Feb. 15, 2010
CIMIT Innovation Grants support early stage, collaborative research projects for improving patient care, with emphasis on devices, procedures, diagnosis, and clinical systems. CIMIT awards grants to principal investigators on faculty at the CIMIT Consortium institutions. Projects may include team members from other academic institutions and collaborators from industry. Awards will be for up to $70,000, direct cost.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 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 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 PTSD 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.
CIMIT-Supported
Ongoing & Future Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Projects In collaboration with Manchester, MH VA Medical Center |
| 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.
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Related
Past Forum
and Events |
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| EVENT | DATE | SPEAKERS | DETAIL |
| Forum: Unraveling the Brain in Trauma and in Health | Sep. 16, 2008 | Van Wedeen, MD: Marilyn Kraus, MD: |
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 • Deciphering Cortical |
| 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 |
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| 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 | October 1, 2009 | |
| Army’s S&T Efforts Aim to Protect Soldiers’ Minds | USAASC | October, 2008 | |
| CIMIT, TATRC co-host successful symposium on TBI | CIMIT Press Release | November 15, 2007 | |
| A Shock Wave of Brain Injuries | Washingtonpost.com | April 8, 2007 | |
| Made-for-the-military Products Put Brakes on Bleeding | CNN.com | March 2, 2007 | |
| More in Massachusetts Get Drug for Stroke | Boston Globe | October 20, 2006 | |
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Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice |
Book By Nathan D. Zasler, Douglas I. Katz, Ross D. Zafonte |
2006 |
Program Leader
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Upcoming Events
May 18 -20, 2010
The Neurotech Investing &
Partnering Conference 2010
Advances in Drugs, Devices and Diagnostics for the Brain and Nervous System
Westin Waterfront Boston
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What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 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 PTSD 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,” PTSD often is described as making an individual feel chronically emotionally numb. People with PTSD 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 PTSD are sleep problems, irritability, violent outbursts, difficulty working or socializing, depression, lack of interest in activities, difficulty showing affection.
Many people with PTSD 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.
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