UT gets grant for research on PTSD

Sept. 27--A five-year, $3.38 million federal grant to the University of Toledo Health Science Campus will help researchers study post-traumatic stress disorder in civilian patients treated at local emergency departments.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) announced the funds Monday at a news conference at the Health Science Campus, the former Medical College of Ohio. It is the largest amount UT has received from the National Institute of Mental Health, officials said.

"I've been trying to help this university advance its research my entire career, and it's great to have professors who have the intellectual capacity to compete at the federal level," Miss Kaptur said.

Xin Wang, an associate professor of psychiatry in the college of medicine and life sciences, will lead the study, which will examine early PTSD development in trauma victims.

Some people who experience a violent or shocking event develop the disorder, symptoms of which can include nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia, and irritability.

The research will study how trauma patients' brains change in an attempt to predict PTSD risk. Local participants may include those hurt in car crashes, workplace accidents, and other blunt-force trauma incidents such as sports injuries, officials said.

Those who agree to participate in the study will be evaluated soon after their emergency department visit and then monitored for a year to identify any brain changes.

Emergency departments from UT's medical center, Mercy Health, and ProMedica will participate in the study.

After receiving emergency care, a patient will be invited to the UT campus, where the radiology department will do a high-resolution scan of the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology. Psychiatrists also will conduct interviews.

About 283 participants will be tracked over the year. The grant will compensate participants for their time and provide transportation to appointments.

"We try to identify the early change in the brain and the behavior to predict the PTSD diagnosis," said Dr. Wang, who has a doctorate in neuroscience and a medical degree.

UT Provost Andrew Hsu thanked Miss Kaptur for being a strong advocate for funding and congratulated Dr. Wang on his research.

"He's doing important work in the life of the approximately 8 million adults currently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD," he said.

Garnering research attention and federal funding for PTSD has been an uphill battle during her time in Congress, said Miss Kaptur, who has advocated for mental health assistance for those in military service.

"I know the human cost to individuals, to families, and I also know the societal costs," she said, pointing to the expense to the health-care system from those with untreated PTSD.

An initial $755,000 in grant funding will be provided in 2016, and the remainder will follow over a four-and-a-half- year period, pending oversight and annual reviews of federal funding amounts.

Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.

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