Emotion Regulation Training for Treating Warfighters with Combat-Related PTSD using Real-Time fMRI and EEG-Assisted Neurofeedback
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling psychiatric condition. Individuals with PTSD suffer from the dysregulation of several types of emotion, including fear, anxiety, anger, and depression [1 4]. Neurocircuit models of PTSD emphasize the role of the amygdala and its reciprocal interactions with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) [5 9]. To advance understanding of the treatment of combat-related PTSD, the current state-of-the-art research aims to test ways to modulate the functions of the emotion circuit implicated in PTSD. We utilize the recent advances in real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) to directly target and modulate amygdala activity [10 11]. This technique measures neuronal activity with sufficiently high temporal resolution that information from the amygdala is immediately available to form a feedback loop. In parallel with rtfMRI-nf, we will obtain simultaneous measurement of electroencephalography (EEG) signals, which directly reflect brain activity in the cerebral cortex [12]. By using the multimodal imaging data we can determine which EEG signals/leads or their combination specifically predict or correlate with clinical improvement that has been associated with the rtfMRI-nf training [11,13 16]. This knowledge will enable us to establish a translational path toward the development of stand-alone real-time EEG neurofeedback (rtEEG-nf) training for emotion regulation, which can facilitate the widespread implementation of the treatment approach due to the high portability and relatively low cost of EEG systems. Our main objective is to determine whether rtfMRI- and rtEEG-assisted neurofeedback emotion regulation training protocols can reduce the symptoms of combat-related PTSD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA600793
Entities
People
- Jerzy Bodurka
Organizations
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research