Can brain and body clues predict PTSD treatment success in teens?
NCT ID NCT07537764
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study examines how 180 adolescents aged 14-18 with trauma-related symptoms react to stress and strong emotions. Researchers will measure brain activity, heart rate, and anxiety while teens repeatedly imagine details of their own traumatic event. The goal is to understand which biological and behavioral patterns might predict who responds best to exposure-based therapies for PTSD.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Repeated imaginal exposure (script-driven imagery task)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help identify which teens with PTSD are most likely to benefit from exposure-based therapies, leading to more personalized treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study focused on understanding mechanisms, not testing a treatment. Results may not directly improve care or apply to all teens with PTSD.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 180 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2031
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
14 to 18 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Adolescent Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adolescent of any sex, race, or ethnicity; between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. 2. Accompaniment by a caregiver willing to participate. Note: Adolescents aged 18 years old are able to provide their own consent though still require caregiver participation to be eligible for study participation. 3. Ability to comprehend English. Rationale: Public census data indicates that the overwhelming majority of youth in the local community are English-speaking (\>98%), inclusive of multi-lingual households. 4. Endorsement of exposure to one or more potentially traumatic event(s), as defined by DSM-5 Criterion A event, that the adolescent remembers and is able to verbalize. 5. A total score ≥15 on the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) or report at least one clinically significant symptom on Intrusion/Re-experiencing, Avoidance, and Hyperarousal symptom domains, as defined by DSM-5 PTSD criteria, and one area of impairment. Adolescent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Previous diagnosis indicating intellectual disability or pervasive developmental disorder that would preclude participant from understanding study procedures. 2. Active psychosis, bipolar disorder, or a comorbid condition that requires a higher level of immediate care (e.g., anorexia nervosa, alcohol withdrawal). 3. Active suicide risk with ideation, plan and intent and/or recent (past 6 months) hospitalization for suicidality. These individuals will be referred directly for immediate services and treatment. All participants who endorse suicidal ideation will be engaged in safety planning as part of the study protocol. 4. Individuals on psychotropic medications must be stabilized on the medication for at least four weeks prior to study start date. 5. Individuals currently engaged in trauma-focused, exposure-based treatment. Caregiver Inclusion Criteria: 1. Caregiver, parent, or legal guardian of an adolescent between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. 2. Ability to comprehend English. Caregiver Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Previous diagnosis indicating intellectual disability or pervasive developmental disorder that would preclude participant from understanding study procedures.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can ketamine boost mindfulness therapy for people facing pain and PTSD?
- Can Trauma-Focused coping skills boost HIV suppression in women?
- Can a Psychedelic-Assisted therapy help veterans with PTSD?
- Can a 5-Session writing exercise ease PTSD in addiction recovery?
- Brain waves and sleep may hold the key to personalized PTSD therapy
- Can a classroom program heal trauma in teens?