Brain scans reveal how PTSD therapy rewires pleasure centers

NCT ID NCT06096740

Recruiting now Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looks at how a type of talk therapy called Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) changes brain circuits related to reward and pleasure in people with PTSD. Researchers will use brain scans to track these changes in 120 participants. The goal is to understand why some people lose the ability to feel joy after trauma and how therapy might help restore it.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could reveal how therapy repairs brain reward pathways, pointing toward more effective PTSD treatments.
What could go wrong: This is an early-stage observational study focused on brain changes, not a treatment trial. Results may not lead to new therapies.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Anhedonia post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

ANHEDONIA CHRONIC POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER CHRONIC PTSD DIMINISHED PLEASURE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER PTSD

Contacts and locations

Locations

Health Discovery Building (HDB), 1601 Trinity St., Bldg B., Z0600
RECRUITING

Austin, Texas, 78712, United States

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