New hopeโข for PTSD Sufferers: UT Dallas โLeads Breakthrough VNS โResearch
A promisingโค new treatment for post-traumatic stressโ disorderโข (PTSD) โis emergingโ from tehโ University of Texas at Dallasโข (UT Dallas), offering potential relief too the millions who don’t โrespond to traditional therapies. Researchers are pioneering the use ofโข Vagus Nerveโ Stimulationโ (VNS) – โขa techniqueโ involving a small,implantable deviceโค – to address the debilitating condition.
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 5% of U.S. adults experience PTSD annually, with women being โdisproportionately โขaffected.Many patients find existing treatments,โข including therapy and medication, ineffective due to side effects, relapse, or simply a lack of response. This leaves a significant gap in โcare, prompting the UT Dallas team to explore innovative solutions.
“We’re focused on findingโข ways to make existing treatments โwork better,” explained Dr. Michael Kilgard, a leading researcher on the project. He emphasized that PTSD isn’t limited toโ military veterans, extending toโข anyone who has โฃendured a deeply traumatic โevent โค- anything that evokes fear for one’s life, bodily harm, or the loss of a loved one.
The VNS device, developed over a decade by โคDr. Robert Rennaker and his team, representsโค a significant leap forwardโค in technology. initially much larger and more expensive, the current wireless iteration is remarkably small – about the size of a dime. Impressively, the 49 individuals in the Dallas area โคcurrently using the device have collectively experienced over 100 years of accomplished implantation with no reported issues, and the device doesn’t interfere with standard medical imaging like MRIs, CT scans, or ultrasounds.
Currently, a Phase โ2 pilot study is underway in Dallas and Austin,โ utilizing a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Researchers are optimistic that this research will pave the way for โขFDA approval of a novel PTSD treatment, developed and delivered entirely within the UT Dallas system – mirroring thier success in upper-limb recovery after stroke.
Dr. Mark Powers,โ lead author of the study and director of the Traumaโข Researchโค Center at baylor Scott & White Research Institute (BSWRI), believes VNS is “changing the โขgame.” he notes that current gold-standard PTSD treatments boast an 85% response rate, leading to diagnosis remission in 40% of patients, but also a 20% dropout rate. โค “Soon we could have the option of VNS for people who don’t get better with cognitive behavioral therapy alone,” he stated.
Theโค success of this project is attributedโ to a uniqueโข multidisciplinary โcollaboration between UT Dallas and BSWRI. Dr. Powers highlighted the synergy of having preclinical and clinical researchers working in tandem, fostering a constant exchangeโ of feedback and ideas. “Neither one of our groups could do โthis alone,” he affirmed.
The research team includes contributions from Dr. Sethโ hays, Dr. Jane Wigginton, Amy Porter, and Holle Carey Gallawayโข from UT Dallas, and also researchers from Southern โMethodist University, UT Austin, and Baylor Scott & White Health. The โproject is funded by a grant from theโข Defense Advanced Research โขProjectsโค Agency, underscoring the importance of this work โfor both civilian and military populations.