Enhanced Hippocampal Neuroplasticity for Surfacing of Inaccessible Traumatic Memories in Veterans With PTSD

Summary

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) includes the inhalation of 100% oxygen at pressures exceeding one atmosphere absolute. HBOT has been applied worldwide, mostly for chronic non-healing wounds. Our team demonstrated that HBOT induced hippocampal neuroplasticity in veterans with long-standing treatment-resistant PTSD; this led to enhanced memory recovery and significant improvement in PTSD symptoms.

Both physical activity, such as aerobic exercise, and cognitive training were shown to support neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Therefore, the current study aims to evaluate whether hippocampal training, induced by physical and cognitive training, will augment the hippocampal neuroplasticity effect of HBOT and further enhance recovery of inaccessible memories in veterans with PTSD.

The protocol will include forty male veterans aged 25 to 60 years, with combat-associated PTSD and peritraumatic amnesia, who will receive either HBOT alone or HBOT and hippocampal training. The HBOT protocol will consist of 60 daily sessions, 90-minutes each, five days a week. Hippocampal training will combine physical and cognitive training 3 times per week, prior to HBOT sessions. Detailed psychological evaluation, anatomic and functional MRI, electroencephalogram and autonomic nervous system data will be obtained at baseline, and during and after treatment.

The proposed study offers a new approach of biological treatment for memory manipulations. The findings will help elucidate the mechanism of PTSD-related memory impairment and is expected to contribute to the development of biological memory manipulations for treating PTSD and other memory-related conditions.

Conditions

• PTSD
• Peritraumatic Amnesia

Interventions

OTHER

HBOT

Participants will be treated in a multiplace chamber (HAUX-Life-Support GmbH) for a total of 60 daily sessions, five days a week. Each session will consist of 90 minutes exposure to 100% oxygen at 2 ATA, with five-minute air breaks every 20 minutes.

OTHER

Hippocampal training

Hippocampal training: This will combine physical and cognitive training. Training will be given 3 times per week, prior to the next HBOT, and more than 20 hours after the last HBOT session.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Weizmann Institute of Science

  collaborator OTHER

• Office of Naval Research (ONR)

  collaborator FED

• Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center

  lead OTHER_GOV

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

25 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-05-25

Primary Completion

2025-05-01

Completion

2025-08-01

Countries

• Israel

Study Locations