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VA seeks veterans with PTSD for research study

San Angelo Standard-Times (TX) - 7/4/2015

July 04--SAN ANGELO, Texas -- The Veteran Affairs' National Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Brain Bank is seeking veterans to participate in a research study about the effects of PTSD.

The VA-led consortium launched the first brain tissue biorepository bank this year to support research on the causes, progression and treatment of PTSD affecting veterans, according to a VA news release.

"Although we have learned a great deal about abnormalities in brain structure and function from brain imaging research, there is no substitute for looking at the neurons themselves," said Dr. Matthew Friedman, consortium director. "Understanding the cellular and circuit contributions to abnormal brain activity in PTSD is critical in the search for potential biomarkers of susceptibility, illness and treatment response and for developing new treatments targeting the conditions at the cellular level."

Friedman is the founder of the brain bank and current senior adviser to the National Center for PTSD, a VA-run research center, the release stated.

The bank collects, processes, stores and gives out research specimens for future scientific studies and is currently obtaining neurological tissue specimens from those who suffer from the disorder, according to the VA website.

The brain bank will investigate the impact of stress, trauma and PTSD on brain tissue to improve the scientific knowledge of PTSD, particularly the identification of PTSD biomarkers. Participants' health will be monitored during their lifetime. Their brain and other body tissue will be donated to the bank after their death.

The donated tissue and the veterans' health information will provide crucial information for use in PTSD research and related disorders, the release stated.

Participating sites are at VA medical centers in Boston San Antonio; West Haven, Connecticut; and White River Junction, Vermont. The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland, also will participate as a research site.

PTSD is a serious mental disorder that results from exposure to direct or indirect threat of death, serious bodily injury or physical violence, including sexual assault, and is a significant concern among veterans, the release stated.

A reported 533,720 veterans with primary or secondary diagnosis of PTSD received treatment at VA medical centers and clinics in 2013, the release stated.

The brain bank is looking for veterans with PTSD and without PTSD to compare the impact of stress, trauma and PTSD on brain tissue, the release stated.

Veterans interested in learning more about enrolling in the brain bank can contact 1-800-762-6609 or visit www.research.va.gov/programs/tissue_banking/PTSD/default.cfm.

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(c)2015 the San Angelo Standard-Times (San Angelo, Texas)

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