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Disrupting Fear-based Memory Consolidation
NCT05560113 · Emory University
In plain English
Click the button to translate this study into plain language — what it is, who qualifies, and what participation looks like.
Official title
Forgetting Fear: Establishing a Novel Non-invasive Approach to Disrupt Fear-based Sensory Memory Consolidation in Humans
About this study
This mechanistic study in humans will study an unexplored precision-based approach of non-invasive neuromodulation of sensory cortex with the aim to prevent PTSD by attenuating the sensory encoding of fear memory. The objective of this project is to explore the basic science and therapeutic potential of sensory-emotional reprogramming in humans, and translate this idea into a precise, individualized treatment to reduce the risk that negative emotional sensory experiences lead to PTSD. Understanding sensory-emotional programming in humans could anchor a breakthrough in the treatment of patients after a traumatic event and seed future animal and clinical studies of emotional sensory cortical memory consolidation to reduce the prevalence and negative sequela of PTSD.
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
* Ability to provide informed consent
* Willingness to participate in study
* No history of musculoskeletal impairment or neurological disease
* Clinical diagnosis of PTSD for individuals in the PTSD group.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Any participant outside the age range
* Participants that show signs of dementia (score \< 20 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment)
* Participants that have a history of major head trauma, a neurodegenerative disorder, or recent (\<6 months) substance abuse;
* Participants that had a recent history of Central Nervous System (CNS) active drugs that may influence cortical excitability or learning; or
* Participants that report contraindications to TMS or MRI - if participating in the TMS/MRI experiments
* Current psychoactive medication usage
* Current symptoms of psychosis or bipolar disorder (as indicated by study staff through a clinical interview as part of that study).
* The study will exclude adults unable to consent, individuals who are not yet adults, pregnant women and prisoners on scientific grounds and to minimize risk.
Study design
Enrollment target: 66 participants
Allocation: randomized
Masking: double
Age groups: adult, older_adult
Timeline
Starts: 2022-11-28
Estimated completion: 2028-12
Last updated: 2025-10-29
Interventions
Other: Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS)Other: Sham continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS)
Primary outcomes
- • Changes in Neural Connections: Functional network connectivity (Study Day 30 and Day 31)
- • Changes in Neural Connections: Regional activation (Study Day 30 and 31)
Sponsor
Emory University · other
Contacts & investigators
ContactMichael Borich, PhD · contact · michael.borich@emory.edu · 404-712-5512
ContactJennifer Stevens, PhD · contact · jswils4@emory.edu · 404-778-1698
InvestigatorMichael Borich, PhD · principal_investigator, Emory University
All locations (2)
Emory Rehabilitation HospitalRecruiting
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Emory University HospitalRecruiting
Atlanta, Georgia, United States