Rural Veterans With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) And Comorbid Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Feasibility Study
Condition: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders; Traumatic Brain Injury
MeSH terms: Brain Injuries; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study is being conducted to understand whether training in tasks that require perceiving
      and thinking about things, or cognition, can improve memory in veterans who have been exposed
      to a blast explosion and have TBI and PTSD. A primary goal of the study is to determine
      whether it is feasible for veterans who don't live close to a VA to perform this cognitive
      training at home.
    

Detailed description: 
      Many military personnel have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic
      stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the current Afghanistan and Iraq wars. TBI occurs when
      a sudden force causes the brain to move, causing damage to brain cells. PTSD is an anxiety
      disorder associated with serious traumatic events. Blast explosions can lead to TBI. People
      who experience TBI as a result of a blast injury are more likely to experience PTSD than
      people who have TBI not due to blast. TBI and PTSD may be associated with memory problems in
      some patients. Because therapy for PTSD sometimes requires learning new ways to think about
      things and making new responses, being able to remember the new information being learned is
      important. It is possible that improving memory may also improve PTSD treatment.

      This is a prospective study of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
      (Afghanistan and Iraq wars; OEF/OIF) veterans who will undergo two neuropsychological and
      psychiatric assessments prior and subsequent to a cognitive training intervention. This is a
      feasibility study to ascertain whether OEF/OIF veterans diagnosed with mild TBI and comorbid
      PTSD and who live in rural locations will adhere to the schedule demands required of a
      computer-based cognitive training protocol.
    

Intervention name(s): Control; Cognitive Training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants will be asked to perform computerized tasks that involve auditory and verbal performance one hour each day, five days per week for 8-10 weeks. Six tasks requiring auditory and verbal information will be presented.; Participants will be asked to perform the Brain Fitness (PositScience) cognitive training tasks an hour each day, five days per week for 8-10 weeks. Six tasks manipulating auditory and verbal information will be presented, and stimuli from all tasks are presented auditorily. All tasks are designed to begin with the lowest level of difficulty required to attain 85% accuracy, and as performance improves, difficulty increases to maintain 85% accuracy, with difficulty decreasing if accuracy decreases.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: PTSD; TBI; Cognition; Cognitive Training