The Laureate Brain Institute is looking for post-9/11 veterans for a study to improve brain function after a traumatic brain injury.
The study combines concepts from two different types of therapy. Cognitive processing therapy helps people with post-traumatic stress disorder. CogSMART assists folks who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. The two therapeutic techniques integrated together is called Smart CPT.
The study will compare a group treated with regular CPT to one treated with Smart CPT. Clinical psychologist and researcher Robin Aupperle leads the new Tulsa study and previously worked on a similar effort done in San Diego. In the California study both groups of veterans improved when it comes to PTSD, but the Smart CPT group improved in another area.
“They experienced more improvement in cognitive functioning particularly around attention and working memory,” Aupperle said.
The new study is being done five years later to see if the results are similar.
“This was in a single site at San Diego, and so really what we’re wanting to see is can we replicate this? Can we see it in a larger study? And can we see it across different sites?”
Post-9/11 veterans are eligible for the study if they have PTSD, current complaints related to thinking and memory and are between 18 and 55 years old. To get more information or sign up for the study, go to laureateinstitute.org or call 918-502-5100.
