Memory boost may help older vets beat PTSD
NCT ID NCT06000475
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tests whether adding memory-support strategies to standard cognitive processing therapy (CPT) helps older veterans with PTSD learn and remember therapy content better. Thirty veterans over age 59 will receive either standard CPT or CPT with extra memory aids. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible and improves PTSD symptoms.
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 with memory support strategies
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a more effective version of PTSD therapy for older adults, helping them remember and apply coping skills better.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Memory support may not significantly improve outcomes.
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
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Veterans with DSM-5 diagnoses of PTSD via the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) Exclusion Criteria: * daily benzodiazepine use (due to memory impairing effects) * bipolar or psychotic disorders * current suicidal ideation with plan or intent * current moderate or severe substance use disorder not in remission for \>1 month * severe traumatic brain injury * a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) indicative of dementia * or other disorders that would severely limit study participation
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-4551, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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