Trial Outcomes & Findings for Top-Down Executive Control in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD and Combined (NCT NCT01072006)

NCT ID: NCT01072006

Last Updated: 2017-09-12

Results Overview

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to measure neural activity in participants during attentional task, specifically measured as a bold signal change from rest to attention task. We then calculate the correlation between the bold signal (fMRI) and the PTSD CheckList questionnaire score. (The bold signal from fMRI indirectly reflects the brain's use of glucose, the brain's main energy source.) Correlations are reflected in an R-value, and R-values can range from 0-1, where 0 means there is no correlation (or relationship) between the two measures (here, the two measures are the fMRI brain signal and the PTSD score) and 1 means there is a perfect correlation between the two measures. A high correlation in this study would suggest that the more severe a patient's PTSD symptoms are, the harder their brain is having to work to accomplish the attention task. Separate correlations were analyzed for each group, and the overall R-value for each group is reported below.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Target enrollment

30 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

These are chronic patients and controls who will only be tested at one time point, which corresponds to their entry into the study (after signing consent forms). Data collected at this single time point will be reported.

Results posted on

2017-09-12

Participant Flow

VANCHCS clinic recruitment 2011-2015

This was not a clinical trial so there was no random assignment to groups. Rather, patients fell into distinct groups based on their clinical history (e.g., history of TBI or PTSD or both or neither).

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Control Group
Control group without traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Group
PTSD (not TBI)
TBI Group
TBI (no PTSD)
TBI+PTSD Group
Combined TBI history and PTSD
Overall Study
STARTED
14
5
0
11
Overall Study
COMPLETED
14
5
0
11
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
0
0
0
0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

Top-Down Executive Control in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), PTSD and Combined

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Control Group
n=14 Participants
Control group without traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Group
n=5 Participants
PTSD (not TBI)
TBI Group
TBI (no PTSD)
TBI+PTSD Group
n=11 Participants
Combined TBI history and PTSD
Total
n=30 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=4 Participants
0 Participants
n=21 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
5 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
11 Participants
n=4 Participants
30 Participants
n=21 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=4 Participants
0 Participants
n=21 Participants
Age, Continuous
30.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.5 • n=5 Participants
33.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.2 • n=7 Participants
28.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.3 • n=4 Participants
30.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.7 • n=21 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=4 Participants
3 Participants
n=21 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
12 Participants
n=5 Participants
5 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
10 Participants
n=4 Participants
27 Participants
n=21 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
14 participants
n=5 Participants
5 participants
n=7 Participants
11 participants
n=4 Participants
30 participants
n=21 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: These are chronic patients and controls who will only be tested at one time point, which corresponds to their entry into the study (after signing consent forms). Data collected at this single time point will be reported.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to measure neural activity in participants during attentional task, specifically measured as a bold signal change from rest to attention task. We then calculate the correlation between the bold signal (fMRI) and the PTSD CheckList questionnaire score. (The bold signal from fMRI indirectly reflects the brain's use of glucose, the brain's main energy source.) Correlations are reflected in an R-value, and R-values can range from 0-1, where 0 means there is no correlation (or relationship) between the two measures (here, the two measures are the fMRI brain signal and the PTSD score) and 1 means there is a perfect correlation between the two measures. A high correlation in this study would suggest that the more severe a patient's PTSD symptoms are, the harder their brain is having to work to accomplish the attention task. Separate correlations were analyzed for each group, and the overall R-value for each group is reported below.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Control Group
n=14 Participants
Control group without traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Group
n=5 Participants
PTSD (not TBI)
TBI+PTSD Group
n=11 Participants
Combined TBI history and PTSD
TBI+PTSD Group
Combined TBI history and PTSD
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Correlation
.21 r-value
.19 r-value
.36 r-value

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: These are chronic patients and controls who will only be tested at one time point, which corresponds to their entry into the study (after signing consent forms). Data collected at this single time point will be reported.

The PCL is a 17-item questionnaire that measures PTSD symptoms on a scale that ranges from 17-85 points. The total severity score is reported below. A higher score means a higher level of PTSD symptoms.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Control Group
n=14 Participants
Control group without traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Group
n=5 Participants
PTSD (not TBI)
TBI+PTSD Group
Combined TBI history and PTSD
TBI+PTSD Group
n=11 Participants
Combined TBI history and PTSD
Psychodiagnostic Testing: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Check List (PCL) Measures the Level of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms
27.2 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.4
56.6 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 11.2
60.4 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 12.3

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: These are chronic patients and controls who will only be tested at one time point, which corresponds to their entry into the study (after signing consent forms). Data collected at this single time point will be reported.

This test provides an estimate of pre-morbid IQ, which is important to report so that the patient sample can be compared to other similar studies for comparable IQ level and so that pre-morbid IQ can be considered as a potential variable. There are 50 items that are each given a score of 1, so the range of scores is 0-50. The raw score is then converted into an estimated IQ score based on age and education. The scores reported below reflect this estimated IQ score, where normal IQ scores range from 75 as low average to 125 as high average.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Control Group
n=14 Participants
Control group without traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD Group
n=5 Participants
PTSD (not TBI)
TBI+PTSD Group
Combined TBI history and PTSD
TBI+PTSD Group
n=11 Participants
Combined TBI history and PTSD
Neuropsychological Testing (Wechsler Test of Adult Reading)
103.3 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 5.7
95.2 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 7.9
102.1 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 8.9

Adverse Events

Control Group

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

PTSD Group

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

TBI Group

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

TBI+PTSD Group

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Juliana Baldo

VANCHCS

Phone: 925-372-4649

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place