Using Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback to Improve Attention and Memory in PTSD+ Combat Veterans
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00625105. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
This study will test the effectiveness of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback as a therapeutic tool in the reduction of everyday memory problems routinely experienced by combat veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The study is innovative in three ways: (1) through its investigation of the clinical use of a novel PTSD treatment technology, (2) by focusing on the understudied aspect of the daily functioning of PTSD veterans, and, (3) by investigating a heretofore untested application of biofeedback for PTSD induced deficits in attention (ATTN) and immediate memory (IM). Though HRV Biofeedback has proven successful for several applications in the general population, the idea that deficits in ATTN/IM in combat veterans with PTSD can be remedied by normalization of HRV has not yet been tested empirically. HRV is functionally incorporated into attentional processes, essentially operating as an index of autonomic flexibility and the ability to self-regulate in response to stimulation from the environment. Low HRV occurs in patients with PTSD, General Anxiety Disorder, and Coronary Artery Disease, and is correlated with negative affect and hostility. HRV Biofeedback training has been shown to be effective in increasing HRV in these groups of patients, as well as improving psychological well-being and physiological function in patients with Depression, Fibromyalgia, and Cardiovascular Disease. Therefore, the interrelationship between HRV and ATTN/IM problems in PTSD+ Combat veterans warrants further investigation. If HRV Biofeedback significantly improves ATTN/IM in these subjects, then it can be offered to VA clinicians treating combat PTSD as an effective new treatment tool.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00625105
- Recruitment status
- Not listed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 30 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 20 Years to 40 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepts healthy volunteers
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Dec 31, 2010
- Primary completion
- Nov 30, 2014
- Completion
- Nov 30, 2014
- Last update posted
- Nov 6, 2014
2011 – 2014
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorn VA Medical Center | Columbia | South Carolina | 29209 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00625105, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Nov 6, 2014 · Synced Sep 6, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT00625105 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.