Emotional memory, ovarian hormones, and trauma-related symptoms in Women
Could ovarian hormones influence how PTSD symptoms and traumatic memories change in response to therapy?
Women with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (or similar conditions) are invited to take part in research to help us answer this important question and improve our understanding of PTSD in women.
Women in Australia are diagnosed with PTSD at nearly twice the rate of men. While differences in trauma exposure contribute to this discrepancy, they don’t fully explain it.
Female-specific factors, such as fluctuations in ovarian hormones across the menstrual cycle, may also play a role, yet these factors are rarely considered in PTSD research.
This study, conducted at the Thompson Institute’s National PTSD Research Centre, is investigating a question that, to the best of our knowledge, has not previously been tested in PTSD: whether menstrual cycle phase at the time of a single, brief memory reconsolidation session influences self-reported PTSD symptoms.
By taking part, you can help address an important gap in our understanding of PTSD in women and build the evidence needed to inform more personalised approaches to PTSD treatment in the future.
We need women with lived experience of PTSD (or similar conditions) to help advance research that may one day improve treatment outcomes for women living with PTSD.
What the study involves
Eligible participants will be asked to:
- Undergo online/over the phone eligibility screening (e.g. medical/psychological condition enquiries).
- Attend the Thompson Institute in Birtinya for:
- One baseline assessment (approximately 4 hours)
- One session of a memory-based intervention (approximately 60 minutes) following on-site ingestion of the study medication. The session involves recalling an emotional, traumatic memory in a structured and supportive setting 75 minutes after ingesting oral propranolol 'off-label', a beta-blocker that has been shown to impair/weaken the reconsolidation of emotional memories
- A pregnancy test, saliva sample, and blood test will also be conducted.
- Complete brief online questionnaires one week and one month later
Who can take part
We invite participation from biological females with probable PTSD (or similar) who:
- Are aged 18–40 years old
- Have natural menstrual cycles (no hormone contraceptive e.g. Mirena)
- Are English-speaking
Questions?
To find out more, contact Dr Ciara Treacy
Email: TI_clinicalresearch@usc.edu.au
Tel: +61 7 5456 3877