NCT05310097

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Memory Support (MS) Study

Enhancing Memory and Learning in Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Boston University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The efficacy of psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is likely limited by the difficulty participants have learning and remembering important therapy content. Accordingly, the present study will examine the utility of integrating a Memory Support (MS) intervention into Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an empirically supported and widely disseminated treatment for PTSD. MS was designed to integrate techniques aimed at facilitating encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of new learning into existing treatments, and has been shown to improve outcomes when integrated into cognitive therapy for depression. A pilot randomized controlled trial (n=52) comparing CPT with Memory Support (CPT+MS) to CPT-alone will be conducted. Study participants will be adults diagnosed with PTSD. The primary aim of the trial will be to determine if CPT+MS will lead to greater memory and learning of therapy content relative to CPT-alone, and to establish the acceptability and feasibility of integrating MS into CPT. Secondary aims include a preliminary examination of treatment efficacy, as indicated by the magnitude of changes in PTSD symptoms between conditions, and target validation, as indicated by associations between memory and learning of therapy content and treatment response. Exploratory analyses will examine several indicators of baseline memory-related cognitive functioning as predictors of memory and learning of therapy content, providing preliminary data to inform future research on personalized application of MS. Results of the trial will advance scientific knowledge about methods for optimizing memory and learning as a mechanism for improving PTSD treatment outcomes.

Conditions

• PTSD

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	CPT	CPT will be delivered over the course of 12 one-hour weekly sessions (maximum of 18 weeks to complete treatment). Participants will have the option of receiving CPT in-person or via videoconferencing.
BEHAVIORAL	MS	The MS protocol consists of eight strategies: categorization, evaluation, application, cue-based reminders, practice remembering, attention recruitment, praising recall, and repetitions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-04
• Primary completion: 2027-01-01
• Completion: 2027-04-01
• First posted: 2022-04-04
• Last updated: 2026-04-01

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States