PTSD Treatment Research Study
Have you experienced a traumatic event that significantly affects your everyday life? Are you currently using birth control? Participate in a compensated PTSD treatment study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Health.
PTSD Treatment Research Study
Have you experienced a traumatic event that significantly affects your everyday life? Are you currently using birth control? Participate in a compensated PTSD treatment study conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Health.
Located in the Greater NYC Area
Compensation Up to $480
Experienced a traumatic event that significantly affects your life currently
18 - 45 Years Old
Fast Facts
Using Birth Control
Study Background
Help researchers at NYU Langone Health determine if taking estradiol (a form of estrogen) together with Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy benefits women experiencing symptoms of PTSD.
PE is a first-line, evidence-based talk therapy that focuses on helping individuals with PTSD process memories of trauma. Previous findings have shown that the hormone estrogen facilitates people learning not to fear things they had feared before. This study will evaluate whether supplementing PE therapy with estradiol pills improves fear extinction outcomes in women with PTSD.
Study participants will receive PE therapy at no cost and may see a reduction in their symptoms.
Join our compensated study and help find better treatments for PTSD today!
PE is a first-line, evidence-based talk therapy that focuses on helping individuals with PTSD process memories of trauma. Previous findings have shown that the hormone estrogen facilitates people learning not to fear things they had feared before. This study will evaluate whether supplementing PE therapy with estradiol pills improves fear extinction outcomes in women with PTSD.
Study participants will receive PE therapy at no cost and may see a reduction in their symptoms.
Join our compensated study and help find better treatments for PTSD today!
Additional Information
This study will investigate whether taking an estrogen pill in combination with Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy results in greater improvement of PTSD symptoms than PE alone. Participants receive PE therapy, a first-line psychotherapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
You could be included in the study if you meet the following criteria.
Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Female, 18-45 years of age
- Chronic (at least one-month post-trauma) PTSD symptoms
- Stable medications for 3 or more months
- Currently on oral contraceptives or vaginal birth control ring (e.g., Nuvaring) or transdermal birth control patch
Exclusion Criteria
- Diagnosis of bipolar I disorder with a past year manic episode
- Diagnosis of a psychotic disorder or psychotic symptoms
- Diagnosis of moderate or severe substance use disorder
- Cognitive impairment
- History of neurological disease (that involves the brain), seizure, or significant head trauma
- Significant suicidal ideation or self-harm
- Concurrent trauma-focused psychotherapy
- Pregnancy
- Metallic implants or devices contraindicating magnetic resonance imaging
- History of breast cancer or hormone-responsive cancer
- Use of benzodiazepines
The first step is to complete this 30 minute phone interview during which we would ask you some questions about your mental and physical health history. If eligible, we would invite you into our office for a full screening assessment, where we will determine your eligibility and explain the details of the study.
Once you are eligible and enrolled, you will complete 2 experimental days. The first day involves an electric shock to your foot that is for most people annoying but not painful. The purpose of the electric shock is to create a situation in which emotional learning may occur. You will receive no more than twelve of these electric shocks. This visit also includes a blood draw to measure the level of estradiol in your body. On the second day, which takes place the day after the first
visit, you will return to our facilities and we will ask you to do a similar experiment as the first day but inside of our fMRI scanner. Following this 2-day visit, you will go through 6 Prolonged Exposure therapy sessions over 3 weeks: 2 sessions per week. After that, we will repeat the experimental visits over 2-days.
Once you are eligible and enrolled, you will complete 2 experimental days. The first day involves an electric shock to your foot that is for most people annoying but not painful. The purpose of the electric shock is to create a situation in which emotional learning may occur. You will receive no more than twelve of these electric shocks. This visit also includes a blood draw to measure the level of estradiol in your body. On the second day, which takes place the day after the first
visit, you will return to our facilities and we will ask you to do a similar experiment as the first day but inside of our fMRI scanner. Following this 2-day visit, you will go through 6 Prolonged Exposure therapy sessions over 3 weeks: 2 sessions per week. After that, we will repeat the experimental visits over 2-days.
Compensation up to $480 is provided for participation in this study.
There is no cost for you to participate in the study.