VA Continues to Play Key Role in PTSD Research

February 28, 2005

From VA Research Currents Vol.5, No.2/Feb.2005

Update from Clinical Science Research and Development

By Brian G. Schuster, MD, PhD, Director

Recent reports indicate that as many as 10 to 20 percent of service personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan may be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), presenting future healthcare challenges for VA. Until relatively recently, a diagnosis of PTSD was rarely made and generally only applied to veterans. It is no wonder that interest in and knowledge about PTSD has expanded greatly with recent military deployments and world events. Now we recognize the disorder in the general population as well as the military/veteran populations.

VA research has played a major role in the expansion of our understanding of PTSD, as well as in the development of new diagnostic tools and treatments. Some of the most significant research advances in PTSD have been made by VA scientists. Examples include the application of leading-edge neuroimaging technologies to define involvement of critical brain structures and circuitry; the delineation of neurochemical and neuroendocrine abnormalities; and the conduct of novel treatment trials to ameliorate symptoms.

VA currently supports PTSD programs across the research continuum, from bench to bedside. The program includes fundamental biological investigations, clinically relevant animal models, clinical research, small interventional trials, and even large multisite cooperative studies such as "Risperidone Treatment for Military Service Related Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" and "Integrating Clinical Practice Guidelines for Smoking Cessation into Mental Health Care for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." These broad efforts involving many individual VA investigators will no doubt lead to better understanding of the underlying causes, as well as to better clinical care.

Notwithstanding the exceptional productivity of our VA researchers, we recognize that effectively designing PTSD interventions, including prevention strategies, will require the consistent application of many resources. In this regard, ORD is working collaboratively within VHA, including Patient Care Services and the National Center for PTSD, and with other major federal funding agencies to promote PTSD research. For example, recognizing that some soldiers exposed to traumatic conditions develop PTSD while some remain resilient is of particular interest to both DoD and VA, particularly with regard to establishing early interventions.

Our goal is to work effectively with our partners in advancing the clinical care of affected veterans by supporting meritorious research. Funding opportunities with our research partners are posted at www.va.gov/resdev.