Is Olfaction the Key to PTSD
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Participants arriving to the ED following a potentially traumatic event such as a motor vehicle accident will be recruited into the study. Inclusion criteria: aged 18-65, Hebrew as a first language, no current psychiatric disorder. Exclusion criteria: loss of consciousness, unable to understand study procedure. Participants will answer self report questionnaires in the ED. They will be invited for a follow up interview 2 weeks and six months post trauma. Between 2 weeks and 6 months they will be folllowed up via online questionnaires. At the interviews, they will encounter 20 different olfactory stimuli, answer self-report questionnaires, and a clinical interview assessing Axis 1 disorders and PTSD will be completed. At six month, participants with PTSD will be offered therapy in the embedded RCT. Patients will receive VRET (Virtual reality exposure therapy) with or without olfaction.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
The goal of this project is to carry out a systematic longitudinal study with an embedded RCT examining olfactory memories in PTSD, in order to test the following hypotheses. Firstly, olfactory memories occur after all traumatic events; secondly, olfactory memories are predictors of PTSD development and thirdly, adding olfaction to PTSD treatment will enhance treatment outcome. The project comprises of a longitudinal study recruiting participants in the Emergency Room within hours of a traumatic event, assessing them at two weeks post trauma for olfactory memories, and at six months for PTSD. This will allow the first two hypotheses to be examined. Participants with PTSD and olfactory memories will be offered treatment and will be randomized to a Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy with and without added odors. Post treatment assessments will examine the third hypothesis.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: VRET VRET - 10 week protocol using VR |
Other: VRET
10 week prolonged exposure protocol, using Virtual Reality for imaginal exposure
|
| Active Comparator: VRET Olfaction VRET olfaction - 10 week protocol using VR with olfaction |
Other: VRET OLFACTION
10 week prolonged exposure protocol, using Virtual Reality for imaginal exposure with the addition of olfaction
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- PTSD Status [3 months after end of treatment]
PTSD diagnosis as measured by the CAPS
- PTSD Levels [3 months after end of treatment]
PTSD Symptoms Levels as measured by the CAPS continuous score
Other Outcome Measures
- PTSD Symptoms Levels Before Treatment [6 months post traumatic event]
PTSD Symptom levels as measured by the CAPS, before treatment begins
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
hebrew native speaker
-
understand study requirements
Exclusion Criteria:
-
current psychiatric disorder
-
suicidality
-
vertigo
-
epilepsy
Contacts and Locations
Locations
No locations specified.Sponsors and Collaborators
- Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 060322sm