About this trial
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild TBI (mTBI) frequently co-occur in post-9/11 Veterans, and together are associated with worse cognitive performance, mental health, everyday functioning, community integration, quality of life, and treatment response than either condition alone. Additional comorbidities, such as depression and sleep disturbance, are common and further exacerbate these problems. The investigators will investigate Compensatory Cognitive Training (CCT) and Morning Bright Light Therapy (MBLT) vs Negative Ion Generator (ION), to directly target cognition, depression, and sleep disturbance and to improve CCT-associated rehabilitation outcomes. The investigator's randomized controlled trial in 144 Veterans with mTBI+PTSD across two VA sites will compare cognition, functioning, and other secondary outcomes following CCT+MBLT vs. CCT+ION. This study addresses the significant gap in services and evidence-based treatments for Veterans with mTBI+PTSD.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Post 9/11 Veterans enrolled at VA San Diego or VA Portland
Ability to provide informed consent
Living independently
History of mTBI confirmed by OSU-TBI
Disqualifiers
Current substance use disorder with <30 days abstinence
History of primary psychotic disorder
History of moderate to severe TBI (loss of consciousness >30 minutes)
History of macular degeneration or bipolar disorder (both contraindicated for bright light therapy)
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- CCT+MBLT
- CCT+ION
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
VA Office of Research and Development
Lead sponsor
Portland VA Medical Center
Collaborator