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Biomolecular Characteristics of Reminder-Focused Positive-Psychiatry
Clinical and Biomolecular Characteristics of Reminder-Focused Positive-Psychiatry in Adolescent With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Who can join
Ages 11 to 15 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Boy/Girl with documented PTSD, * aged 11- 15 years old, * able to read/write in English Exclusion Criteria: * presence of intellectual disabilities, * presence of psychotic or self-injurious behavior, * presence of seizure disorder, * presence of language disorder, * presence of eye disorders, * presence of other neurodevelopmental disorders, * presence of diagnosis of substance use disorder.
About the study
Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder in children and is associated with increased neurovascular inflammation, suicidality, adulthood mental health disorder, and major adverse events. Reminder focused positive psychiatry (RFPP) has been shown as well tolerated feasible trauma focused intervention that is associated with improved core PTSD symptoms, decreased severity of reactivity to PTSD trauma reminders, and increased vascular function. This study evaluates the clinical and biomolecular characteristics of RFPP in adolescents with PTSD.
Research Design/Overall Impact: After obtaining parents' informed consent and adolescent's assent, 60 adolescents aged 11-15 years old with PTSD, and free of known medical and other major psychiatric disorders will be recruited from the pool of eligible adolescents at Olive View UCLA Pediatrics Clinics (\>3000 adolescents with PTSD). Eligible adolescents will be randomized to 1) RFPP group intervention, or 2) an attentional control condition (group process). Thirty subjects in each group will receive twice weekly telehealth intervention of either RFPP or group process, for 6 weeks, and undergo 4 blinded neuropsychiatric assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 24 weeks. Parents will receive weekly interventions of either positive psychoeducation or group process, for 6 weeks and undergo baseline, 3, 6- and 24-weeks neuropsychiatric assessment. Vascular function, inflammatory biomarkers including CRP, homocysteine, and stress involved gene expression biomarkers (i.e. changes in gene expression of FKBP5, DDX6, B2M, LAIR1, RTN4, NUB1, and a multi-gene Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity score (CTRA) will be measured at baseline and 6-week. The primary and secondary endpoints are a) changes in PTSD core and reactivity to trauma reminder severity score in response to RFPP intervention, b) changes in wellbeing, biopsychosocial trait, vascular function, neuroinflammation and gene expression biomarkers in response to RFPP, and c) changes in parents' wellbeing and biopsychosocial trait as well as child-parent interactions.
What is being tested
- Reminder Focused Positive Psychiatry (behavioral)
- attentional control condition (group process) (behavioral)
Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles · Participants: 60 · Started: Apr 1, 2026
Contact the study team
- Naser Ahmadi, MD PhD · Phone: 424 298 8846
- Naser Ahmadi, MD PhD · Phone: 4242988846
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT04529031
Locations in the U.S.
| California | UCLA, Los Angeles |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 29, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.