thedrifter
07-06-08, 06:11 AM
Massive research effort at UT aims to better treat stress disorder
By CHRIS VAUGHN
cvaughn@star-telegram.com
One of the enduring unknowns of the mind is why some soldiers return from combat with post-traumatic stress disorder, while others don’t.
Brian Baldwin has always pondered this as a professional soldier and as a man. He lost a cousin to suicide, an act that Baldwin believes was a result of untreated PTSD after Vietnam.
Three years ago, as the number of soldiers and Marines experiencing PTSD steadily escalated, Baldwin used his position as manager of a brain center at the University of Texas at Austin and his Army connections to initiate one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken on the disorder.
Baldwin secured the support of psychologists and researchers at the university, convinced Army leaders at Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston of the merits and persuaded the research arm of the Defense Department to finance it. And while many research projects take years to get going, this one moved into the fast lane.
"There’s the idea, and there’s the implementation," said Michael Telch, the lead investigator on the study and a psychology professor at UT. "With Brian’s help and his smarts at communicating with unit commands, we were actually able to get the green light to do this. I’m really excited. Without a doubt, this is the most important project I’ve been involved with in my 22-year career."
Detecting susceptibility
The UT researchers hope that by comparing the results of brain scans and behavioral tests on soldiers before and after life in a combat zone, they can learn who is more susceptible to PTSD and develop methods of preventive care.
The Army reported last month that the number of troops with PTSD jumped 50 percent in 2007 and that roughly 40,000 have been diagnosed since 2003. Tens of thousands more who have left the military have been similarly diagnosed by the Veterans Affairs Department.
"Our leadership recognizes that PTSD is increasingly a condition that is an unfortunate byproduct of the Army’s operations, especially in Iraq," said Maj. Chad Carroll, spokesman for 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and a Cleburne native. That brigade just recently left Central Texas for 15 months in Iraq.
"Our brigade treats every PTSD case with extreme care, but some are extremely difficult to accurately diagnose and get the soldier the help they deserve," Carroll said. "We hope this study will improve the Army’s ability to diagnose and treat our warriors."
Baldwin retired in 1998 after 25 years in the Army. Early in his career he was a pilot in a medical helicopter unit and later moved into administrative jobs, such as the chief of a "battle lab" overseeing technological advances in patient care.
Three years ago, he took on the position of project manager of UT’s Imaging Research Center, which supports 35 UT research projects on strokes, blindness, anxiety illnesses and other brain-related subjects.
But Baldwin has not forgotten soldiers.
"Being an Army medical department guy all my life, I am still really concerned with soldiers’ health," he said. "I started thinking about the number of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD. It wasn’t an 'aha’ moment with this. It was just an idea that maybe we could do something."
Scans, tests and analyses
Almost 200 soldiers from a variety of combat and combat-support jobs volunteered to participate in the study. Because researchers need soldiers who have never experienced combat, it’s not surprising that the vast majority of the volunteers are either low-ranking enlisted soldiers or newly commissioned lieutenants who are new to the Army.
UT hopes to gain funding to study 360 more soldiers.
Before deploying, the soldiers undergo two types of MRI brain scans, zeroing in on specific areas where the brain stores memories, reacts to stresses and controls emotions.
They also take physiological and hormonal tests and go through interviews to determine any pre-existing conditions, their level of cognitive functioning and their typical reactions to stress.
Lastly, they also provide a saliva sample so researchers can analyze their DNA for possible genetic markers.
While the soldiers are in Iraq, they fill out a computer questionnaire once a month about any traumatic events they have experienced and any physical or emotional changes they have noticed.
Then, they repeat the entire process when they come home.
"One of the things about including these multiple assessments is that we get a much more rich array of possible risk factors than we could have ever gotten from giving soldiers only questionnaires," Telch said.
'Exploring all options’
The first group who underwent the tests left in September 2007, and many more from a second group just left Fort Hood for their 15-month tours.
The Army has pushed more mental-health professionals into Iraq and Afghanistan to try to treat soldiers as soon as possible after traumatic events. But Army psychiatrists are interested in what the study might find, said Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a physician who leads many of the service’s mental health programs.
"We are interested in exploring all options for the early detection and treatment of PTSD," she said in a statement. "In most cases, the earlier you identify and manage the symptoms, the better soldiers do."
About PTSD
What is post-traumatic stress disorder? It is an anxiety disorder that can occur following a traumatic event, such as combat, a tornado, terrorist attack or rape. Some anxiety and fallout from combat is normal, but PTSD interferes with a person’s personal and work life and can lead to suicidal thoughts.
What are its symptoms? The most common are flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, hyperarousal, anger and distancing from loved ones. Some veterans use alcohol or drugs to blunt their feelings, creating another problem.
Do all combat veterans have it? Not at all. But research indicates that there are several important factors in whether servicemen and women develop PTSD: the time they are exposed to combat, the more friends they lose in combat, the number of times they narrowly escape death or injury and how much help they get soon after the events. There may also be physical or hormonal indicators.
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs
CHRIS VAUGHN, 817-390-7547
Ellie
By CHRIS VAUGHN
cvaughn@star-telegram.com
One of the enduring unknowns of the mind is why some soldiers return from combat with post-traumatic stress disorder, while others don’t.
Brian Baldwin has always pondered this as a professional soldier and as a man. He lost a cousin to suicide, an act that Baldwin believes was a result of untreated PTSD after Vietnam.
Three years ago, as the number of soldiers and Marines experiencing PTSD steadily escalated, Baldwin used his position as manager of a brain center at the University of Texas at Austin and his Army connections to initiate one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken on the disorder.
Baldwin secured the support of psychologists and researchers at the university, convinced Army leaders at Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston of the merits and persuaded the research arm of the Defense Department to finance it. And while many research projects take years to get going, this one moved into the fast lane.
"There’s the idea, and there’s the implementation," said Michael Telch, the lead investigator on the study and a psychology professor at UT. "With Brian’s help and his smarts at communicating with unit commands, we were actually able to get the green light to do this. I’m really excited. Without a doubt, this is the most important project I’ve been involved with in my 22-year career."
Detecting susceptibility
The UT researchers hope that by comparing the results of brain scans and behavioral tests on soldiers before and after life in a combat zone, they can learn who is more susceptible to PTSD and develop methods of preventive care.
The Army reported last month that the number of troops with PTSD jumped 50 percent in 2007 and that roughly 40,000 have been diagnosed since 2003. Tens of thousands more who have left the military have been similarly diagnosed by the Veterans Affairs Department.
"Our leadership recognizes that PTSD is increasingly a condition that is an unfortunate byproduct of the Army’s operations, especially in Iraq," said Maj. Chad Carroll, spokesman for 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and a Cleburne native. That brigade just recently left Central Texas for 15 months in Iraq.
"Our brigade treats every PTSD case with extreme care, but some are extremely difficult to accurately diagnose and get the soldier the help they deserve," Carroll said. "We hope this study will improve the Army’s ability to diagnose and treat our warriors."
Baldwin retired in 1998 after 25 years in the Army. Early in his career he was a pilot in a medical helicopter unit and later moved into administrative jobs, such as the chief of a "battle lab" overseeing technological advances in patient care.
Three years ago, he took on the position of project manager of UT’s Imaging Research Center, which supports 35 UT research projects on strokes, blindness, anxiety illnesses and other brain-related subjects.
But Baldwin has not forgotten soldiers.
"Being an Army medical department guy all my life, I am still really concerned with soldiers’ health," he said. "I started thinking about the number of soldiers being diagnosed with PTSD. It wasn’t an 'aha’ moment with this. It was just an idea that maybe we could do something."
Scans, tests and analyses
Almost 200 soldiers from a variety of combat and combat-support jobs volunteered to participate in the study. Because researchers need soldiers who have never experienced combat, it’s not surprising that the vast majority of the volunteers are either low-ranking enlisted soldiers or newly commissioned lieutenants who are new to the Army.
UT hopes to gain funding to study 360 more soldiers.
Before deploying, the soldiers undergo two types of MRI brain scans, zeroing in on specific areas where the brain stores memories, reacts to stresses and controls emotions.
They also take physiological and hormonal tests and go through interviews to determine any pre-existing conditions, their level of cognitive functioning and their typical reactions to stress.
Lastly, they also provide a saliva sample so researchers can analyze their DNA for possible genetic markers.
While the soldiers are in Iraq, they fill out a computer questionnaire once a month about any traumatic events they have experienced and any physical or emotional changes they have noticed.
Then, they repeat the entire process when they come home.
"One of the things about including these multiple assessments is that we get a much more rich array of possible risk factors than we could have ever gotten from giving soldiers only questionnaires," Telch said.
'Exploring all options’
The first group who underwent the tests left in September 2007, and many more from a second group just left Fort Hood for their 15-month tours.
The Army has pushed more mental-health professionals into Iraq and Afghanistan to try to treat soldiers as soon as possible after traumatic events. But Army psychiatrists are interested in what the study might find, said Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a physician who leads many of the service’s mental health programs.
"We are interested in exploring all options for the early detection and treatment of PTSD," she said in a statement. "In most cases, the earlier you identify and manage the symptoms, the better soldiers do."
About PTSD
What is post-traumatic stress disorder? It is an anxiety disorder that can occur following a traumatic event, such as combat, a tornado, terrorist attack or rape. Some anxiety and fallout from combat is normal, but PTSD interferes with a person’s personal and work life and can lead to suicidal thoughts.
What are its symptoms? The most common are flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, hyperarousal, anger and distancing from loved ones. Some veterans use alcohol or drugs to blunt their feelings, creating another problem.
Do all combat veterans have it? Not at all. But research indicates that there are several important factors in whether servicemen and women develop PTSD: the time they are exposed to combat, the more friends they lose in combat, the number of times they narrowly escape death or injury and how much help they get soon after the events. There may also be physical or hormonal indicators.
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs
CHRIS VAUGHN, 817-390-7547
Ellie