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Ongoing Projects

"The Aurora Study"

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                                         The AURORA study is a major national research initiative to

                                         improve the understanding, prevention, and recovery of                                                   individuals who have experienced a traumatic event.                                                       AURORA is supported by more than 30 million dollars in                                                 funding from NIH, private foundations, and partnerships with                                           leading tech companies such as Mindstrong Health and                                                 Verily Life Sciences, the health care arm of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Five thousand participants who present to a consortium of the leading emergency departments in the nation will be enrolled. Trauma survivors participating in AURORA will receive initial evaluation in the emergency department, followed by intensive multimodal follow-up over a one year period. The wealth of first-in-kind information gained from this study will be used to develop predictive and diagnostic biomarkers and urgently needed preventive/treatment interventions for civilian trauma survivors and military veterans.

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"Physical Health and PTSD: Examination of gut-brain relationships"

What are the effects of trauma exposure on physical health? Does PTSD influence the expression of gastrointestinal distress? 

                                                 Trauma exposure has been implicated in the development                            of both psychological and physical health concerns. The current study seeks to expand on this existing knowledge base to further our understanding of the role of trauma, and PTSD specifically, on the development of functional bowel disorders. Gaining a better understanding of the factors involved in the gut-brain interaction will aid in the development of treatments geared toward the alleviation of distress for both the mind and body. 

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"Culturally Informed Trauma Focused Treatment in Kyrgyzstan"

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This collaborative project will include developing a culturally adapted measure of PTSD in a Kyrgyz population as well as to examine the effectiveness of a brief, transdiagnostic psychological intervention targeting symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety and overall distress. Outcomes from the integrated program will lay the groundwork to scale and sustain mental health research and clinical care driven by in-country leaders and US partners dedicated to changing the current trajectory of mental health equity in Kyrgyzstan.  

"Enhancing Capacity for Mental Health Research and Care in Cambodia"

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This collaborative project represents the first capacity building program driven by the Ministry of Health in Cambodia – a critical element to support adoption and sustainability. It is the first study to define the acceptability and feasibility of trauma-informed care as a prevention program integrated into primary care in Cambodia. Successful completion of this project will create a sustainable foundation to help close the gap in mental health research and care in Cambodia.

"Neural Correlates of PTSD Treatment Outcome"

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                                         Why do some develop PTSD while others do not following                                              similar traumatic experiences? What predicts whether                                                      individuals respond well to treatment? 

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                                         These are a couple of the questions this study attempts to                                              address, through innovative neuroscience techniques. In particular, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity are important new techniques that can shed valuable insight into the association of different areas of the brain. These findings can be instrumental in informing treatment approaches and the underlying mechanisms for PTSD emergence. Other variables, such as comorbidities and early life experience are explored as well. 

"The Enigma Project"

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The Enigma Consortium is an international effort by leaders worldwide. The Network brings together researchers in imaging genomics, neurology and psychiatry, to understand brain structure and function, based on MRI, DTI, fMRI, genetic data and many patient populations. The best return on our research investments will come from combining our data  to achieve the large samples necessary to detect the modest gene effect sizes that we now know are the rule rather the exception for complex traits.

The ENIGMA Network has several goals:

 

  • to create a network of like-minded individuals, interested in pushing forward the field of imaging genetics

  • to ensure promising findings are replicated via member collaborations, in order to satisfy the mandates of most journals

  • to share ideas, algorithms, data, and information on promising findings or methods

  • to facilitate training, including workshops and conferences on key methods and emerging directions

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http://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-ptsd-working-group/

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