Using gentle brain stimulation to boost exposure therapy for trauma
Official title: Enhancement of exposure therapy, modeled by extinction learning in rats, using transcranial direct current stimulation
Funded at South Texas Veterans Health Care System · NIH-11118699 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests whether mild electrical brain stimulation given alongside exposure-style therapy can help people with PTSD get better faster and with less distress.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | South Texas Veterans Health Care System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Antonio, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2011 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX000559-13 |
| Project ID | NIH-11118699 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially combat veterans who have trouble completing or responding to exposure-based therapy, would be the most relevant candidates for future human testing.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without PTSD, those with medical implants or conditions that prevent use of electrical brain stimulation, or patients whose symptoms arise from unrelated causes may not benefit from this intervention.
What this research studies
Researchers use a well-established rat model of exposure therapy (called extinction learning) to mimic how exposure-based treatment works for PTSD. They apply low-intensity transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the brain during extinction sessions and compare behavior after chronic stress to untreated controls. The team measures anxiety-related behaviors and other stress-impaired outcomes to see if stimulation speeds recovery or strengthens the benefits of extinction. Findings are intended to point to approaches that could be translated into human trials to shorten treatment and reduce dropout.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If findings translate to people, this approach could shorten exposure therapy, reduce the distress of sessions, and lower dropout among patients with PTSD.
How similar studies have gone: Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques like tDCS have shown mixed but promising signals in small clinical studies for mood and anxiety, while pairing stimulation directly with exposure therapy is less tested and remains early-stage.
Where this research is happening
-
South Texas Veterans Health Care System
San Antonio, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Morilak, David a — South Texas Veterans Health Care System
- Study coordinator: Morilak, David a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.