💬In plain words
What the trial is, and whether it could suit you
The goal of the current project is to establish the efficacy and mechanisms of exercise-enhanced fear extinction retrieval and generalization in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure therapy is the gold standard treatment for PTSD, yet is only associated with remission rates of \~55% and in clear need of improvement. Exposure therapy is hypothesized to work through mechanisms of fear extinction learning, and as such, laboratory-based fear extinction paradigms are widely used as models of exposure therapy. Recent data demonstrates that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, delivered specifically during or after fear extinction learning, can boost the consolidation of fear extinction learning. Consistent with emerging models of exercise's pro-extinction effect, our pilot data among women with PTSD found that moderate intensity aerobic exercise delivered after fear extinction learni
Sign in to get the eligibility rules as simple questions to take to your doctor.
📋 Eligibility rules (as published)
Inclusion Criteria:
* Age 18 - 55 years of age
* Currently experiencing at least 4 PTSD symptoms with at least 1 re-experiencing symptom (e.g., trauma memory intrusion, trauma nightmares, trauma flashbacks, intense emotional distress related to trauma, or marked physiological reactivity related to trauma) from criterion B.
* English speaking
* Medically healthy
Exclusion Criteria:
* being pregnant
* having a history of light headedness or fainting during physical activity
* having a history of chest pain during physical activity
* having a bone, joint, cardiac, or other medical condition that a doctor has said may be worsened by physical activity
* responding 'Yes' to any of the seven questions on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q; unless they provide a doctor's note indicating that it is safe for them to engage in aerobic exercise )
* percutaneous coronary intervention or acute myocardial infarction in the last 6 weeks
* unstable arrhythmias/implanted cardiac defibrillator shocks in the last 3 months
* Internal ferromagnetic objects (such as electronic devices, surgical implants, shrapnel, etc.)
* Nonremovable dental implants, such as braces or upper permanent retainers, as these will distort the MRI images we collect (note: filings, crowns, and silver or gold teeth are OK)
* Any other condition, medication, or implant that the investigator believes would degrade image quality or render data unusable
* psychotic disorders
* Permanent makeup or tattoos with metallic dyes,
* A self-reported history of loss of consciousness (greater than 30 minutes)
* physical disabilities that prohibit task performance (such as blindness or deafness)
* Any other condition that the investigator believes might put the participant at risk
* Claustrophobia
* History of cardiovascular disease
* on-going traumatic event exposure (e.g., living with an abusive partner)
* Severe substance use disorder.
* unstable medication (changes within the past \~4 weeks)
* Acute sedatives/pain killers (e.g., benzodiazepines, Vicodin) and prescription stimulants (e.g., Adderall) would not be permitted for 6 hours prior to the study visit.
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