Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation: Piloting a Road to PTSD Prevention in First Responders

Launched by BUTLER HOSPITAL · Jan 2, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Despite an urgent need for interventions that can prevent the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in firefighter first responders who, due to the nature of their occupation, are at ultrahigh risk for PTSD and its profound consequences, current preventative approaches suffer from low rates of efficacy or difficulties with implementation. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that is FDA approved for treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and depression, offers substantial promise as a proactive preventative intervention for PTSD because ...

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Active duty firefighter in Rhode Island, USA;
• • Age between 18 and 56 years old;
• • Be in good medical health or, if having chronic medical conditions, these conditions needed to be stable;
• • Ability to speak, read, write, and understand English sufficiently well to complete study procedures and provide informed consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • MRI and CES-related contraindications, e.g., implanted metallic device or substances including pacemakers, cochlear implant, metallic tattoos, claustrophobia, pregnancy or planning to become pregnant during the study duration and nursing;
• • Neurological conditions such as brain neoplasm, cerebrovascular events, epilepsy or history of seizures, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders, or had previously received brain surgery;
• • Report presence of suicidal ideation on QuickSCID-5 or has attempted suicide one or more times within the past twelve months;
• • Exhibiting a psychiatric condition that would require inpatient or partial psychiatric hospitalization;
• • Current moderate or severe alcohol or other substance abuse (excluding nicotine);
• • Major or unstable medical illness requiring further investigation or treatment.