Wright State University received approximately $160,000 in funding to conduct a stage 1 clinical trial on the safety of electroencephalogram transcranial magnetic stimulation (eTMS) to treat the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans and first responders.
Leading the trial will be Matt Sherwood, Ph.D., a research associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Physiology at Wright State. Partnering with sponsor Wave Neuroscience, Sherwood and a team of four Wright State graduate students will gather data on the effects of eTMS on a group of 30 people who have PTSD.
Wave Neuroscience applied for funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to conduct the Food and Drug Administration clinical trial. The company is also responsible for developing the software that interprets EEG recordings, which determine the stimulation parameters that are used for the personalized protocol.
After researchers collect and submit the data, they will begin the second phase of the research project. The second phase will be a controlled study involving a sham group and an active group. The goal of the second phase will be to determine the efficacy of the treatment.
Researchers hope to achieve Food and Drug Administration approval of eTMS, which will enable third-party billing for the treatment of PTSD.