Innovative Multimodal and Attention Training to Improve Emotion Communication in Veterans With TBI and PTSD

Part of paid clinical trials in Gainesville, Florida.

Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
Study ID
NCT05478759
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
25 Years - 50 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Multimodal affect recognition training — BEHAVIORAL
    8 session, trains participants to recognize expression of emotion from a variety of stimuli, including dynamic stimuli (e.g., video instead of still pictures) and it employs both facial and vocal examples of emotion expression.
  • Attention Training — BEHAVIORAL
    computerized attention drill training
  • Brain Health Workshop — BEHAVIORAL
    an education presentation on brain function and cognitive principles of learning with homework and quizzes on information covered.
  • National Geographic Movies — BEHAVIORAL
    participant will watch movies and answer questions after

Study Details

Poor emotion recognition has been associated with poor quality of interpersonal relationships, loss of employment, behavioral problems, reduced social reintegration, social isolation and even suicide. Deficits in emotion recognition are common in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but these deficits have not been well studied in Veterans with both mild TBI (mTBI) and PTSD. Currently there are no interventions for emotion recognition in Veterans with mTBI and PTSD, and interventions for severe TBI have lacked training of both facial and vocal emotion recognition. In a preliminary study of an innovative combination of facial and vocal modalities, a multimodal affect recognition training (MMART) showed promise but lacked attention training that is an essential component in recognizing emotions in our daily lives. Given the need to improve relationships and productivity in Veterans with mTBI and PTSD, a study is needed to determine the effectiveness of a MMART combined with attention training.

Key Dates

Start date
Dec 1, 2022
Status verified
Dec 2025
Primary completion
May 30, 2026
Completion
Jun 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: MMART and attention training
    Training to recognize affect and prosodic expressions of emotions combined with attention training.
  • Placebo Comparator: Brain Health Workshop and National Geographic Movies
    an inactive arm that matches sessions of intervention. BHW is education about the brain and cognition. National Geographic movies are viewed with the clinician and the participant answers questions about the movies.

Primary Outcome Measure

Florida Affect Battery (FAB), assessing change [ Time Frame: week 1, week 11, week 22 ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FLGainesvilleFlorida32608-1135
Margaret H McCallum
[email protected]
(352) 376-1611
Julia K. Waid-Ebbs, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

Find similar trials in Gainesville, FL

By condition
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
By specialty
PsychiatryMental healthBehavioral health
By research site
North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL· Gainesville, FL

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