Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition in which individuals feel anxiety and panic when reminded of a traumatic event. According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 7 to 8 percent of the U.S. population will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
TxBDC was recently awarded a four-year grant that could result in funding of up to $6.4 million to study a potential new therapy for individuals who suffer from PTSD. The grant is part of DARPA’s ElectRx program, which aims to develop groundbreaking technologies that would use the body’s innate neurophysiology to restore and maintain health.
Researchers at TxBDC have developed a therapy to help PTSD patients reengage in life. This therapy uses stimulation of the vagus nerve during therapy to rewire neural circuits, dramatically improving recovery. We call this approach Targeted Plasticity Therapy (TPT). TPT uses vagus nerve stimulation during exposure therapy to reduce the fear response.
Translational Psychiatry: Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on extinction of conditioned fear and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in rats
UT Dallas News Center: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Shows Progress Against PTSD Symptoms
UT Dallas News Center: Team Wins DARPA Grant to Explore Potential Treatment for PTSD
Our goal is to fund the next phase of Targeted Plasticity Therapy to treat PTSD and to dramatically reduce the cost to deliver this therapy to patients. SUPPORT TxBDC >>
