LIFU Mechanisms for PTSD in Healthcare Workers

NCT ID: NCT07164105

Last Updated: 2025-12-04

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

66 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-12-29

Study Completion Date

2028-08-31

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) can normalize dysfunctional brain activation patterns and behaviors in frontline healthcare workers with post-traumatic stress disorder. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does LIFU of the vACC effect activity and connectivity of the vACC and amygdala?
* Does LIFU of the vACC reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms? Researchers will compare LIFU to sham modulation to see if LIFU modulates activity of vACC-amygdala circuitry and affects threat sensitivity and emotion regulation.

Participants will:

* Complete two fMRI sessions (before and after LIFU)
* Receive a single session of LIFU or sham modulation of the vACC
* Wear a wearable device that tracks sleep and heart rate metrics

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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PTSD and Trauma-related Symptoms

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU)

LIFU of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Low intensity focused ultrasound

Intervention Type DEVICE

Low intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex

Sham

Sham neuromodulation (Sorbothane membrane over ultrasound probe)

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham modulation

Intervention Type DEVICE

Low intensity focused ultrasound with a Sorbothane membrane cover to prevent acoustic energy transmission

Interventions

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Low intensity focused ultrasound

Low intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham modulation

Low intensity focused ultrasound with a Sorbothane membrane cover to prevent acoustic energy transmission

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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LIFU

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Adults in a frontline healthcare position (e.g. emergency medical services)
2. Ages 18-65 years
3. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) score ≥ 33 and \< 65
4. English proficiency as evaluated by language ability during screening

Exclusion Criteria

1. Neurological disorders
2. DSM-5 diagnosis of psychotic disorders, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, moderate to severe alcohol or substance use disorder within the past year, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder with psychosis
3. Suicidal intent or plan (as measured by Suicide-Risk-Assessment-C-SSRS "Yes" answers to items 3, 4 or 5 of Suicidal Ideation-Past 1 month section, or any "Yes" answer to any of the items of Suicidal Behavior-Past 3 months section), or any suicide attempt in the last 3 months.
4. History of severe traumatic brain injury (as indicated by score ≥ 3 on the Tulsa Head Injury Screen) or of skull fractures
5. Contraindications to MRI as determined by the MR Environment Screening
6. Pregnancy, determined by urine pregnancy test administered prior to every MRI scanning procedure
7. Evidence of inability to comply with study procedures based on experimenter judgement.
8. Change in the dose or prescription of a medication within the 6 weeks before enrolling in the study that could affect brain functioning, e.g., anxiolytics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, or mood stabilizers.
9. Non-correctable vision or hearing problems
10. Unstable medical diagnoses
11. Any structural abnormalities in the LIFU target region on screening brain MRI.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Inc.

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Laureate Institute for Brain Research

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Adrienne Taren, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

918-340-4116

Facility Contacts

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Adrienne Taren, MD, PhD

Role: primary

918-340-4116

Courtney Kilpatrick

Role: backup

Other Identifiers

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20252812

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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