NCT07164105

LIFU Mechanisms for PTSD in Healthcare Workers

Mechanisms of Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound of the Ventral Anterior Cingulate Cortex for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Frontline Healthcare Workers

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 66 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Inc. · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC) can normalize dysfunctional brain activation patterns and behaviors in frontline healthcare workers with post-traumatic stress disorder. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does LIFU of the vACC effect activity and connectivity of the vACC and amygdala? * Does LIFU of the vACC reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms? Researchers will compare LIFU to sham modulation to see if LIFU modulates activity of vACC-amygdala circuitry and affects threat sensitivity and emotion regulation. Participants will: * Complete two fMRI sessions (before and after LIFU) * Receive a single session of LIFU or sham modulation of the vACC * Wear a wearable device that tracks sleep and heart rate metrics

Conditions

• PTSD and Trauma-related Symptoms

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Low intensity focused ultrasound	Low intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the ventral anterior cingulate cortex
DEVICE	Sham modulation	Low intensity focused ultrasound with a Sorbothane membrane cover to prevent acoustic energy transmission

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-29
• Primary completion: 2028-08-01
• Completion: 2028-08-01
• First posted: 2025-09-09
• Last updated: 2026-03-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States