T2 is dedicated to coordinating and implementing cutting edge research to improve the psychological and traumatic brain injury healthcare of our Warfighters and their families. The T2 staff maintains an active internal research program and continues to develop collaborative research opportunities with a broad network of stakeholders. Recent projects have focused on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in clinical practice; the detection of suicide risk factors; the impact of deployment on psychological health; the use of technology to improve health outcomes; and Service Member assessments of technology-based approaches to care.

T2’s research projects have been competitively funded by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center (TATRC).

Current Research Projects

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy Study: Comparing VR Therapy to Prolonged Exposure in Treating Soldiers with PTSD

This study is evaluating the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) by comparing it to Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) and a Waitlist (WL) group in the treatment of active duty Soldiers with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The rationale for this study is based on growing evidence demonstrating that VRET is a high-quality, effective treatment for PTSD and holds the potential to improve access to care for Soldiers who might otherwise avoid traditional talk therapies due to stigma. Despite its promise as a viable treatment option, there are no published studies comparing VRET to PE in the treatment of combat-related PTSD. Positive results may provide new treatment options for all Service Members, and provide an attractive option for SMs who either do not respond to, or who are reluctant to engage in, other established therapies, such as PE.

Evaluation of Virtual Reality Programs and Building Resilience

This project will extend our previous TATRC-funded collaboration with the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), which is developing VR technologies to improve the treatment of PTSD.. These technologies are very well-suited to the development of VR-based exposure therapy, and may be adapted to include resiliency. This project will leverage existing clinical VR expertise and assets in order to collaborate with ICT in developing a game-based Soldier Resiliency Training tool.

PTSD/TBI Clinical Consortium

The PTSD/TBI Clinical Consortium program is a collection of research centers throughout the United States that will propose and implement a variety of research protocols, whose focus will address multiple PTSD and TBI research gaps. These PTSD and TBI research gaps may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Prevention of PTSD
• Measures in Screening, Detection, and Diagnosis of PTSD
• Epidemiological Studies of PTSD
• Treatment and Intervention of PTSD
• Families/Caregivers Projects of PTSD
• Neurobiology/Genetics of PTSD
• Treatment and Clinical Management of TBI
• Neuroprotection and Repair Strategy Research for TBI
• Rehabilitation/Re-integration Strategies for TBI
• Field Epidemiology of TBI (with emphasis on mild TBI)
• Physics of Blast as it Relates to Brain Injuries

PDHRA and SWAP Evaluation Projects

T2 is involved in a number of projects designed to evaluate the Post-Deployment Health Re-Assessment (PDHRA) and Soldier Wellness Assessment Program (SWAP) processes. The PDHRA, initiated in 2005 by the DoD, is the Army standard behavioral health surveillance tool. These research projects will evaluate the effectiveness of the standard DoD screening program, provide comparison to other screening methods (i.e., SWAP), identify critical screening components, and guide future screening implementation. Preliminary data have been gathered and examined.

Suicide Risk Factors Pilot Study: Army Suicide Cases and Fort Lewis Control Group

This project will pilot a comparison of Army suicide risk factors against a control sample of Fort Lewis Soldiers. The current analysis of risk factors is incomplete, as no comparison group exists against which data may be compared. Four Fort Lewis Soldiers will be randomly identified to participate following confirmation of an active duty Soldier suicide (world-wide). Methods will approximate DoDSER procedures by collecting information about suicide risk factors on a control group of Soldiers.

Analysis of ABHC Data

The Automated Behavioral Health Clinic (ABHC) creates large, standardized datasets which provides opportunities to study important behavioral health issues. For example, this data allows T2 researchers to study the mental health risks associated with multiple deployments.