Imaging Outcomes of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Battered Women With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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Neurobiology of Severe Psychological Trauma in Women

Conditions
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Cognitive Trauma Therapy for Battered Women (CTT-BW)


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Female. 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.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 60 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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Design Details

Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Intervention/Treatment |
| --- |
|Behavioral: Cognitive Trauma Therapy for Battered Women (CTT-BW)|10 individual sessions of this form of cognitive therapy, with a trained therapist.|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) | 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. | After 10 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (10-14 weeks) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CAPS 3 months post-treatment |  | 3 months post-treatment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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PTSD, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, functional MRI, neuroimaging