Tetris tested as a tool to block traumatic flashbacks
NCT ID NCT07495917
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 03, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a new approach to reduce intrusive memories in people with PTSD. Participants are briefly exposed to trauma cues without realizing it, then play Tetris. The idea is to disrupt memory reconsolidation without needing to consciously recall the trauma. The trial will enroll 106 trauma-exposed individuals who have at least five intrusive memories per week.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Tetris gameplay and subliminal trauma reactivation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a low-stress, non-talk therapy for reducing intrusive memories in PTSD.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early trial with only 106 participants, not yet recruiting. The effect may be small or not work outside the lab.
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
-
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
-
About 106 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Jul 2028
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
-
18 to 50 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.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Meet DSM-5 PTSD Criterion A (eg, exposure to actual or threatened death). Have experienced one or more traumatic events. 2. Experienced three or more intrusive memories during the baseline week. 3. Have internet access and have access to a personal computer. 4. Be willing to provide consent and able to complete study procedures and be contacted by the study team. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Have fewer than three intrusive memories during the baseline week. 2. A current diagnosis of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a severe personality disorder judged to interfere with treatment adherence, or acute suicidal behavior. 3. Have severe substance dependence.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Intrusive memories of traumatic event(S) 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
-
School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University
RECRUITINGXi'an, Shaanxi, 710062, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can reassuring cues help military personnel with PTSD read emotions?
- Can talk therapies quiet the trauma of violence?
- Could pausing psychiatric pills boost PTSD therapy?
- Can emotional patterns reveal the true nature of teen trauma?
- Beta-Blocker may rewrite traumatic memories in PTSD
- Zapping the Brain's fear hub: a new hope for PTSD?