Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Memory Support (MS) Study

Summary

The efficacy of psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is likely limited by the difficulty participants have learning and remembering important therapy content. Accordingly, the present study will examine the utility of integrating a Memory Support (MS) intervention into Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an empirically supported and widely disseminated treatment for PTSD. MS was designed to integrate techniques aimed at facilitating encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of new learning into existing treatments, and has been shown to improve outcomes when integrated into cognitive therapy for depression. A pilot randomized controlled trial (n=52) comparing CPT with Memory Support (CPT+MS) to CPT-alone will be conducted. Study participants will be adults diagnosed with PTSD.

The primary aim of the trial will be to determine if CPT+MS will lead to greater memory and learning of therapy content relative to CPT-alone, and to establish the acceptability and feasibility of integrating MS into CPT. Secondary aims include a preliminary examination of treatment efficacy, as indicated by the magnitude of changes in PTSD symptoms between conditions, and target validation, as indicated by associations between memory and learning of therapy content and treatment response. Exploratory analyses will examine several indicators of baseline memory-related cognitive functioning as predictors of memory and learning of therapy content, providing preliminary data to inform future research on personalized application of MS. Results of the trial will advance scientific knowledge about methods for optimizing memory and learning as a mechanism for improving PTSD treatment outcomes.

Conditions

• PTSD

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CPT

CPT will be delivered over the course of 12 one-hour weekly sessions (maximum of 18 weeks to complete treatment). Participants will have the option of receiving CPT in-person or via videoconferencing.

BEHAVIORAL

MS

The MS protocol consists of eight strategies: categorization, evaluation, application, cue-based reminders, practice remembering, attention recruitment, praising recall, and repetitions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• VA Boston Healthcare System

  collaborator FED

• Boston University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Joseph Carpenter, PhD MA · VA Boston Healthcare System, BUSM Psychiatry Dept.

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-04

Primary Completion

2027-01-31

Completion

2027-04-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations