NIH R01 · 2025
The effects of trauma-focused psychotherapy on reward circuitry function and information encoding
Project Summary/Abstract The objective of this study is to identify how a trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), alters the function and information processing of the brain during reward learning. Preliminary data indicate abnormal function of the brain’s reward circuit (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum) during reward learning in PTSD. Changes in this circuitry may serve as one mechanism of therapeutic improvement in diminished positive affect symptoms. This is an important area of study, as PTSD diminished positive affect symptoms (e.g., difficulty experiencing positive emotions, diminished interest) are poorly understood…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.