Management of Chronic Pain and PTSD in Veterans with tDCS+Prolonged Exposure

Funding Source: Internal. Seed grant Department of Psychiatry

Purpose: Veterans, especially those who present with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), are particularly likely to experience chronic pain. Veterans with co-morbid chronic pain and PTSD utilize healthcare services at a higher rate than those with pain or PTSD alone. Unfortunately, there are no integrated treatments for pain and PTSD. Moreover, non-pharmacological treatments for pain such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are useful in only about 50% of cases. Transcranial direct current stimulation tDCS may be an effective treatment for pain, and has been recently used to ameliorate PTSD symptoms. Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) is highly effective in treating PTSD symptoms. Therefore, we propose to (a) integrate & (b) gather feasibility data for home-based tDCS + PE for Pain and PTSD with 15 Veterans.

Role: Melba A. Hernandez-Tejada, PhD, DHA, PI

Contact Person: Melba A. Hernandez-Tejada, PhD, DHA PI, 713-486-2729 or Daniel Murphy, Research Coordinator, 713-486-2841

Recruitment: Active, currently approved by IRB for teleconsent.