Neural changes following equine-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A longitudinal multimodal imaging study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exist, many individuals, including military personnel and veterans fail to respond to them. Equine-assisted therapy (EAT), a novel PTSD treatment, may complement existing PTSD interventions. This study employs longitudinal neuro-imaging, including structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), resting state-fMRI (rs-fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to determine mechanisms and predictors of EAT outcomes for PTSD.

Method

Nineteen veterans with PTSD completed eight weekly group sessions of EAT undergoing multimodal MRI assessments before and after treatment. Clinical assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up.

Results

At post-treatment patients sho

SUBMITTER: Zhu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7978114 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature