Can Exercise Improve Therapeutic Learning Among Women With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Thomas Adams

Overview

This study aims to test whether aerobic exercise improves the consolidation and subsequent recall of the learned safety memories among adult women with PTSD related to interpersonal violence exposure and whether this effect is mediated by the ability of exercise to increase acute levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and endocannabinoids (eCB). Participants can expect to be on study for up to 90 days, participating in 4 study sessions: Day 1 of Intake Screening, Day 2 of Emotional Learning, Day 3 of Fear Extinction and Exercise, and Day 4 of Recall of Emotional Learning.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Conditions

PTSD

Interventions

ExperimentalBEHAVIORAL

Behavioral: Moderate Intensity Exercise The moderate-intensity aerobic exercise session will consist of walking or running at a moderate intensity (i.e., between 70-75% MHR) for 30 minutes.

Active ControlBEHAVIORAL

Behavioral: Low Intensity Exercise Control participants will maintain light-intensity activity (i.e., walking at \~50% of MHR) for 30 minutes.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 21 YearsMax age: 50 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Current diagnosis of PTSD where the index traumatic event includes physical or sexual assault * English speaking * Medically healthy Exclusion Criteria: * Any endorsed medical concerns related to physical activity (as probed in the phone screening questions regarding cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease and as assessed via the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), which probes into participants' history of heart conditions, chest pain, dizziness, loss of consciousness, bone/joint problems, and medication history). Participants would not be excluded if they report this condition being "controlled" or "addressed" through medication or lifestyle change, such as regular exercise. * Major medical disorders (such as cancer, AIDS) * Physical discomfort or difficulty with blood draws * Psychotic disorders * Intellectual disabilities * Developmental disorders * Active substance use disorders * Pregnancy * Due to safety concerns, participants with these conditions will be ineligible to participate: * Major medical disorders (e.g., HIV, cancer) * Daily cannabis use * History of light headedness or fainting during blood draws or physical activity * History of chest pain during physical activity * Abnormal EKG finding at intake visit screening, without follow-up clearance from their physician * Bone, joint, cardiac, pulmonary, metabolic, or other medical conditions that may be worsened by physical activity (e.g., Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), diabetes, hypertension) that is not currently addressed via medication or lifestyle change. * A positive pregnancy test * A self-reported history of loss of consciousness (greater than 30 minutes) * Physical disabilities that prohibit task performance (such as blindness or deafness) * Psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) * Any other condition that the investigator believes might put the participant at risk

Locations (1)

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Participant Skin Conductance Responding (SCR)

Aim 1 fear extinction analyses consists of a 2 (group: low-intensity exercise vs moderate-intensity exercise) x 2 (cue: conditioned fear and safety) x 2 (task phase context: learning context vs extinction context) mixed design focused on Day 4 fear responding (skin conductance responses). SCR data will be acquired on a BIOPAC MP150 Data Acquisition System (BIOPAC Systems, Inc.) with electrodes placed on participant's left hand. Participants will be instructed to select an intensity of a 7/10 on the subjective pain scale, which should be "uncomfortable, but not painful." Average intensity of participant skin conductance will be reported.

Time frame: up to Day 4

Participant Expectancy Ratings

Aim 1 fear extinction analyses consists of a 2 (group: low-intensity exercise vs moderate-intensity exercise) x 2 (cue: conditioned fear and safety) x 2 (task phase context: learning context vs extinction context) mixed design focused on Day 4 fear responding (expectancy ratings). Expectancy will be assessed throughout each phase of the experiment to estimate the degree to which the subject believes she will receive a shock following presentation of certain pictures presented during the experiment.

Time frame: Up to day 4

Group Differences in Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

Aim 2 group differences in BDNF consists of a 2 (group: moderate-intensity vs low-intensity) x 2 (cue: conditioned fear and safety) x 2 (task phase context: learning context vs extinction context) x 2 (timepoint: pre condition vs post condition,) mixed design. The hypothesis is BDNF increases following exercise will separately mediate the relationship between aerobic exercise and enhanced fear extinction recall.

Time frame: before and after 30 min exercise on Day 3

Group Differences in Serum Endocannabinoid (eCB) Content

Aim 2 group differences in eCB consists of a 2 (group: moderate-intensity vs low-intensity) x 2 (cue: conditioned fear and safety) x 2 (task phase context: learning context vs extinction context) x 2 (timepoint: pre condition vs post condition,) mixed design. The hypothesis is eCBs increases following exercise will separately mediate the relationship between aerobic exercise and enhanced fear extinction recall.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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Secondary Outcomes

Change in Profile of Mood States (POMS) Questionnaire

The POMS survey is a 65-item survey scored on a 5 point Likert Scale (0-4) where 0 s 'not at all' and 4 is 'extremely' for the tension, depression, fatigue, confusion, and anger subscales, and reversed for the vigor and esteem-related affect subscales. The range of total possible scores is XX-XX with higher numbers indicating more extreme or negative moods.

Time frame: at each visit, up to Day 4

Change in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)

STAI is a 20-item assessment rated on a 4-point scale from 'almost never' to 'almost always' with the total scores ranging from 20-80. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

Time frame: at each visit, up to Day 4

Change in Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)

PANAS is comprised of two 10-item scales for both positive and negative affect. Total combine scoring is from 20-100 where the higher the score the more negative the affect.

Time frame: at each visit, up to Day 4