Description Module

Description Module

The Description Module contains narrative descriptions of the clinical trial, including a brief summary and detailed description. These descriptions provide important information about the study's purpose, methodology, and key details in language accessible to both researchers and the general public.

Description Module path is as follows:

Study -> Protocol Section -> Description Module

Description Module


Ignite Creation Date: 2025-12-24 @ 2:01 PM
Ignite Modification Date: 2025-12-24 @ 2:01 PM
NCT ID: NCT01405495
Brief Summary: The goal of this study is to identify the early modifications in fronto-temporal connectivity in female victims who developed PTSD, compared to female victims who did not develop the disorder, and to healthy control females. The investigators will compare between all these groups, structural and functional differences using different techniques (MRI, fMRI, DTI and ASL), and paradigms (cognitive tasks or at rest).
Detailed Description: Most of the transversal neuroimaging studies in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were conducted in male war veterans. Few studies focused on neuroanatomical correlates of PTSD in civilian populations, and only one prospective study explored the cerebral connectivity when developing the disorder. In France, physical and sexual assaults are the most prevalent causes of PTSD, especially in the female population. Neuroanatomic basis of chronic PTSD are now well-defined, implicating limbic over-activation (amygdala), associated with a default activation in prefrontal cortex. However, mechanisms implied in the modification of fronto-limbic regions connectivity, especially in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), need further investigations. Will the post-traumatic amygdalar over-activation perturbate the normal functioning of the ACC, or is there a modification in the ACC functioning which leads to a default in amygdala inhibition ? This question is of interest, since the prefrontal cortex, including the ACC, has an essential role in different kind of cognitive activities in the normal and pathological brain, such as working memory and attentional processes. The goal of this study is to characterize early modifications in structural and functional connectivity in brain structures implied in the development of PTSD using different kinds of MRI-based techniques (structural MRI, fMRI, DTI and ASL), as well as biological (cortisol) and psychophysiological (skin conductance ...) measures in female patients developing PTSD, compared to women exposed to trauma who did not develop the disorder and to healthy controls.
Study: NCT01405495
Study Brief:
Protocol Section: NCT01405495