A Neurosensory Account of Anxiety and Stress (Study 1)
Start Date
4/5/2022
Completion Date
12/31/2026
Summary
This study will take a basic neuroscience approach to investigate pathological mechanisms underlying PTSD. Additionally, the study aims to identify how Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) brain stimulation can modulate and correct neural networks and related emotions of anxious arousal and hypervigilance, with the goal of assessing tACS brain stimulation technology as a novel intervention for symptoms of anxiety.
Detailed Description
This study includes experiments 1a \& 1b to address Aims 1 and -- Intrinsic and Novelty-related Sensory Cortical (SC) Disinhibition and Sensory-Prefrontal-cortex-Amygdala (SPA) pathology in PTSD. The goal of this study is to develop and test a novel pathophysiology of PTSD by integrating sensory cortical (SC) and amygdala-prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunctions into a tripartite Sensory-Prefrontal-Cortex-Amygdala (SPA) model. The investigators will recruit 80 healthy subjects and 80 patients with PTSD in a randomized, double-blind, controlled design, where they be randomly assigned to 1) Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) at individual alpha peak frequency (active condition); 2) sham control tACS; or 3) active control, which will be transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) (random frequency 1-200 Hz). During tACS/sham tACS/tRNS stimulation, stimulation electrodes will be placed inside the holders of an EEG cap attached to the head of the participant. Simultaneous EEG- fMRI recordings during the resting state (in experiment 1a) and during a novelty task (in experiment 1b) will be acquired before and after tACS/tRNS stimulation.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Range: 18 years to 50 years
Interventions
Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
Sham for Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
Transcranial Random Noise stimulation (tRNS)
Conditions
Locations
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas 77030
United States