A
nationwide study to understand the mechanism behind post-traumatic stress
disorder has been launched in the United States.
The
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) School of Medicine will lead
a $60 million, five-year, 10-site Clinical Consortium funded by the Department
of Defense Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program (DoD
PH/TBI) to conduct studies leading to the prevention and treatment of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), two
prevalent but poorly understood battlefield-related disorders that affect
millions of individuals, both military and civilian.
Murray
B. Stein, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Psychiatry and Family and Preventive
Medicine at UC San Diego and Staff Psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs San
Diego Health System (VASDHS), will direct the multi-center Clinical Consortium.
Ronald G. Thomas, Ph.D., Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and
Neurosciences and Director of the Division of Biostatistics at UC San Diego, is
co-principal investigator of the Consortium.
This
nationwide network of study sites will test new therapies to prevent illness
and enhance recovery in individuals at risk for adverse psychological,
emotional and cognitive outcomes resulting from a traumatic injury, and for
individuals who have already developed chronic neuropsychiatric problems
because of an injury. The program will also focus on the short- and long-term
symptoms caused by mild head injuries, which Stein says are not well understood
in the treatment of military or civilian populations. The multi-center project
is part of a $300 million commitment by the DOD to prevent, mitigate, and
treat the effects of traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury on function,
wellness, and overall quality of life for service members as well as their
caregivers and families.
