A joint study between Western and McMaster universities into a new post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for public safety personnel is getting nearly $1 million in additional funding.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) on Tuesday awarded the London and Hamilton post-secondary institution researchers $990,000 to examine the new treatment option. The money will be doled out over three years.
The study focuses on how effective goal management training is at improving cognitive functioning among public safety personnel, such as nurses, firefighters, police, and paramedics. Researchers will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine any changes in brain structure and brain function, while also looking at everyday functional outcomes, like the ability to return to work.
The brain scans will be done before and after the treatment.
"Many studies to date just look at PTSD symptoms in response to treatment, especially how those symptoms have decreased, but very few studies to date have actually looked at real-world functioning,” said Dr. Ruth Lanius, professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and director of the PTSD research unit.
Lanius noted actual functioning includes how quickly an individual can process new information in the workplace, memory, and the ability to stay on task without absentminded missteps.
"This can be something as simple as making a recipe to as complex as stopping and thinking before making a careless remark to a family member. Some aspects of functioning may be undervalued by treatment providers but highly valued by patients with PTSD," said Lanius.
Participants for the study are being recruited province-wide, including at the London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and Homewood Health Centre in Guelph.
