Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a five-session mental health therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research shows that it works as well as longer treatments for PTSD among people over 18, even though it requires fewer sessions than other PTSD therapies. However, WET has not been adapted and tested via telehealth with people aged 12 to 18. Our study aims to see how WET can be adapted to meet the needs of people aged 12 to 18 who have experienced trauma and currently have PTSD symptoms. To adapt WET for this age group, first we will talk with PTSD experts and people aged 12 to 18 to learn what changes might make WET more suitable for young people. We'll also deliver WET via telehealth to five people aged 12 to 18 following the manual as it is written for people over age 18 to see what needs adjusting. In the next part of the study, we will offer the adapted version of WET via telehealth to 20 people aged 12 to 18 in our MUSC integrated pediatric primary care clinic. People aged 12 to 18 will take part in five to seven weekly online therapy sessions and three virtual study visits (before therapy, after therapy, and one month later) to better understand who they are as a person and their current mental health symptoms and diagnoses. Individuals who are 18 can participate without caregiver permission; individuals aged 12 to 17 can only participate with caregiver permission. Our goal is to find the best way to provide effective PTSD treatment for young people that can be delivered in real-world pediatric primary care settings, so that ultimately more people can get the help they need after traumatic experiences.
Adults (ages 18+) who use cannabis and are interested in reducing their use will be enrolled in an 8-week treatment program. All participants will receive counseling (1 goals session with a therapist followed by 7 weekly computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions). Detailed cannabis assessments (biological and self-report) will be conducted throughout treatment and at 1- and 4-months post-treatment completion. Daily electronic diaries will be administered via text message to record detailed logs of cannabis use quantity and frequency. Participants are also asked at different points throughout the study to wear a Fitbit to monitor their sleep.
As growing research suggests noninvasive brain stimulation techniques have the potential to adjunct current treatments or treat Seizure-Type Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND-seiz), also known as Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES), we aim to evaluate whether a form of accelerated intermittent theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (a-iTBS-rTMS), is a practical and well-tolerated treatment for people with this disorder. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate a part of the brain involved in mood and thinking, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which has established benefits in disorders known to coincide in patients with FND-seiz, such as depression.
As an open-label, early feasibility study, enrolled participants will receive 6 to 10 treatment sessions each day over 3 to 5 days, with the goal of completing 30 total sessions. This approach was selected because similar protocols have already been shown to be safe and effective in other conditions, and the shortened treatment schedule in comparison to other protocols may make participation easier for people living with FND-seiz. The main goal of the study is to see how many participants can safely and comfortably complete at least 20 of the 30 TMS sessions.
The researchers will also evaluate changes in seizure frequency, quality of life, mood, post-traumatic stress symptoms, physical health, social functioning, and overall satisfaction with treatment. These outcomes will be measured before treatment and again four weeks afterward. The researchers also aim to explore whether people with overlapping conditions, such as depression or PTSD, respond differently to the treatment. Finally, given the overlap between epilepsy and FND-seiz, not all TMS providers are comfortable treating patients with FND-seiz when TMS is indicated for other conditions, thus the researchers aim to outline a protocol to ensure safety and increase TMS access for FND-seiz patients.
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy often experience problems with mood, thinking, or behavior that cannot be explained by seizure activity alone. This study will examine how cognitive and mood-related brain regions communicate in patients undergoing routine intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) seizure assessment in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While the clinical electrodes are in place, we will apply brief single magnetic pulses (single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, or spTMS) to the scalp in specific brain regions and record the brain's electrical response through the existing electrodes; no additional surgery is required. We will compare the responses to stimulation of an emotionally and cognitively relevant region (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) with a contrast site (primary motor cortex). We will also investigate whether momentary brain rhythms and seizure-related electrical activity affect responses propagation through the brain. The findings may help identify measurable brain signaling patterns ("biomarkers") to understand how cognitive-emotional brain networks work in people with epilepsy and inform future personalized non-invasive brain stimulation methods for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Apathy is a common set of symptoms seen in many people following a stroke. Apathy occurs when a person has lost motivation, becomes withdrawn, and stops doing things that used to be important to them. Apathy has a large negative impact on a person's quality of life, and can also have a large impact the people who take care of individuals with apathy. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments to help with apathy, and other services like therapy may be difficult to access for people who have had a stroke. To address this problem, we are conducting a study to find out if a form of treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be safe and helpful for people struggling with apathy after a stroke. Our study will apply a new form of rTMS which can be delivered quickly to a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Our study will help establish whether this treatment is safe, comfortable, and effective for people with apathy after a stroke, and will help researchers develop new forms of treatment.
This is a research study to help see if a new interview for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), called the Revised Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, or the CAPS-5-R for short, is accurate and reliable for veterans. By doing this study, we hope to learn if the CAPS-5-R can be used in VA to diagnose PTSD. Participation will all be done remotely. Joining this study will involve (1) completing some questionnaire measures and (2) completing an interview remotely by videoconference over 2 days at most.
Participants must be Veterans, aged 18 or older in the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System who have experienced trauma or at least one PTSD symptom.
This study is designed as a prospective, multi-centered, double-blind, randomized, delayed-stimulation/ sham-stimulation controlled 12-month study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bilateral stimulation of the subcallosal cingulate white matter (SCCwm) using the Infinity™ Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) system as an adjunctive treatment of non-psychotic unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for adults who are experiencing a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) with inadequate response to 4 or more antidepressant treatments.
This study involves testing how useful a technology-enhanced, skill building intervention is for pregnant people prescribed buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder, compared to medication monitoring. Participants are randomized to one of the conditions. Participants randomized to receive the skill building intervention will attend three 60-90-minute therapy appointments during pregnancy with an additional 30-minute therapy session towards the end of pregnancy, and 3 additional monthly postpartum (after childbirth) sessions (0-6 months postpartum). As part of the program, participants will receive access to a mobile application, which will be accessible for the duration of the study. Participants randomized to medication monitoring will be asked to log each time the medication is taken for a two month period. All participants will also be asked to complete questionnaires at enrollment, at the end of pregnancy, 3-month postpartum, and 6-months postpartum, be contacted randomly throughout the study to perform a medication count, and complete a urine drug screen at 6-months postpartum. The total duration of the study is between 9-13 months depending on when enrollment occurs (early second trimester-mid third trimester). Compensation up to $500 is provided.
This study will test a therapy intervention, HOPE, for individuals with opioid use disorder and postttraumatic stress disorder. Interested individuals will need to be taking medications for opioid use disorder (e.g., suboxone, naltrexone, methadone). Interested participants will complete a 10-12 week therapy, and be asked to complete surveys.
This study involves testing how useful a technology-enhanced intervention is for pregnant people prescribed buprenorphine for the management of opioid use disorder. The intervention being studied is a brief skill building protocol and a mobile application. Participation involves three 60-90-minute skill building appointments during pregnancy, and four 30-minute check-in visits at the end of pregnancy through 3 months postpartum. The mobile application will be accessible for at least the duration of the study. Participants will also be asked to complete questionnaires at enrollment and again at 1-month postpartum and 3-months postpartum, will send monthly photos of their prescription bottle/box, and will be contacted randomly throughout the study to perform a medication count. The total duration of the study is between 5-9 months depending on when you enroll. Compensation is provided.