Women's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Research Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between trauma and startle. The investigators are also looking at the effect of menstrual phase on this relationship.

Detailed Description
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The investigators are trying to understand if there is a relationship between the experience of traumatic events such as those experienced by people with post traumatic stress disorder and reactivity to startling noises or mild threats. So, the investigators are looking at startle reflex, heart rate, and stress hormone responses to short noises and small shocks in people exposed to trauma and who either do or do not have PTSD. Additionally, the investigators will be looking at how the menstrual cycle impacts these processes. The investigators know that women have twice the risk for developing PTSD and some research suggests that stress hormones change during the menstrual cycle and may have an effect on risk.

Official Title
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The Psychophysiology and Neurobiology of PTSD Across the Menstrual Cycle

Conditions
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Women, ages 18-55 years old who have a regular menstrual cycle and who can come in to participate in the afternoon Exclusion Criteria: Long-term medications, oral or steroid contraceptives, irregular menstrual cycle

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 55 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| PTSD group<br>Individuals in this group meet criteria for PTSD as defined by DSM-IV | |
| trauma control group<br>individuals in this group do not meet criteria for any Axis I diagnosis as defined by DSM-IV | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prepulse Inhibition | To calculate prepulse inhibition (PPI), first an O-EMG response score (O-EMG-R) for each trial was calculated. O-EMGR was measured in microvolts and each value was subjected to a square root transformation. For each participant, the mean O-EMG-R scores were calculated for both startle alone and prepulse + startle trials across the entire session. PPI is a ratio and was calculated by the formula below: PPI=(mean OEMG-R score on prepulse+startle trials-mean OEMG-R on Startle alone trials)/mean OEMG-R on startle alone trials. A negative value on this PPI ratio is indicative of greater prepulse inhibition. Means and SEs below reflect estimated means and SEs for the PTSD group and trauma control group from the ANOVA conducted with menstrual phase and the PTSD group X menstrual phase interaction included in the model. | This measure was assessed twice for each participant, once in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle and once in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, up to approximately 20 days apart. | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Stress, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress Disorders, Traumatic