Deep Brain Reorienting in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

The Effects of Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

This study will evaluate the efficacy of a therapeutic treatment, Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), for PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Participants will be randomized to either the DBR treatment, or wait-list condition.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: PTSD; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate the efficacy of Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) in reducing PTSD symptoms. DBR was designed by Dr. Frank Corrigan, a Scottish psychiatrist interested in the brain mechanisms underlying effective trauma psychotherapy. For this study, participants will be randomized to either the DBR treatment or wait-list study conditions. Trauma processing through DBR involves bringing up a traumatic memory and encourages the client to focus on tensions arising in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, head and face (i.e., those involved in orienting toward a threatening person/event). It is believed that this approach will allow the participant to process the traumatic memory in an emotionally manageable way, changing how it is represented/accessed in the brain's innate defensive system. Online Stream - Assessments will include clinical interviews (pre/post treatment, and follow-up) using Webex video conferencing, and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans (pre/post treatment). In-Person Stream - Assessment will include clinical interviews (pre/post treatment and follow-up), and fMRI scans (pre/post treatment).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 234
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5A5
      • London Health Sciences Centre - University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• English speaking
• age: 18-65
• meets diagnostic criteria for PTSD (as determined by study assessment)
• may benefit from short-term trauma therapy (as determined by study assessment)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with any implants, conditions, etc. that do not comply with 7-Tesla (7T) fMRI research safety standards (e.g., certain implants, pregnancy)
• history of significant head injury/lengthy loss of consciousness (e.g., a Glasgow Coma Scale Score < 15 at the time of incident assessed retrospectively by participant)
• significant untreated medical illness
• history of neurological disorder
• history of any pervasive developmental disorder
• history of bipolar disorder
• history of psychotic disorder
• alcohol/substance abuse or dependence within the last 3 months
• extensive narcotic use
• current participation in counselling more extensive than supportive therapy (e.g., exposure therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy would be an exclusion)
• a degree of mental distress that is unlikely to benefit from a short-term therapy (for our participants' well-being, it will be necessary that we believe it possible to safely address the issues/triggers brought up in treatment within the 8 sessions).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: DBR Condition; Involves 8 weekly sessions of DBR treatment.	Behavioral: Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR); Trauma processing through DBR involves bringing up a traumatic memory and encouraging the client to focus on tensions arising in the muscles of the shoulders, neck, head and face (i.e., those involved in orienting toward a threatening person/event). The rationale is as follows: Physiologically, orienting to a stimulus, whether external or in the mind's eye, comes before any affective response to it. Here, it is hypothesized that there is activity in certain midbrain structures , i.e.,Superior Colliculi (SC) and Periaqueductal Gray (PAG). The deep layers of the SC bring on a brief (orienting) tension in the neck as well as preparing for eye movements, which is later followed by the processing of raw affect in the PAG. In session, if we can attend to this tension - even if we have to backtrack from the emotion that follows - we can establish an anchor in the body that precedes the affect and is hypothesized to protect against emotional overwhelm.
No Intervention: Wait-list Condition; No intervention for approximately 8 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
change in PTSD symptoms from baseline as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) at post-treatment assessment	min. CAPS score=0, max=80, with higher scores representing greater PTSD symptoms	8 weeks
change in PTSD symptoms from post-treatment assessment as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) at follow-up assessment	min. CAPS score=0, max=80, with higher scores representing greater PTSD symptoms	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ruth A Lanius, MD, PhD, London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Corneil BD, Munoz DP, Chapman BB, Admans T, Cushing SL. Neuromuscular consequences of reflexive covert orienting. Nat Neurosci. 2008 Jan;11(1):13-5. doi: 10.1038/nn2023. Epub 2007 Dec 2.
• Lanius RA, Rabellino D, Boyd JE, Harricharan S, Frewen PA, McKinnon MC. The innate alarm system in PTSD: conscious and subconscious processing of threat. Curr Opin Psychol. 2017 Apr;14:109-115. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.11.006. Epub 2016 Nov 26.
• Terpou BA, Densmore M, Thome J, Frewen P, McKinnon MC, Lanius RA. The Innate Alarm System and Subliminal Threat Presentation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Neuroimaging of the Midbrain and Cerebellum. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2019 Feb 5;3:2470547018821496. doi: 10.1177/2470547018821496. eCollection 2019 Jan-Dec.
• Comoli E, Das Neves Favaro P, Vautrelle N, Leriche M, Overton PG, Redgrave P. Segregated anatomical input to sub-regions of the rodent superior colliculus associated with approach and defense. Front Neuroanat. 2012 Apr 3;6:9. doi: 10.3389/fnana.2012.00009. eCollection 2012.
• Kearney BE, Corrigan FM, Frewen PA, Nevill S, Harricharan S, Andrews K, Jetly R, McKinnon MC, Lanius RA. A randomized controlled trial of Deep Brain Reorienting: a neuroscientifically guided treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2023;14(2):2240691. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2240691.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 29, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 18, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): March 23, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Deep Brain Reorienting; DBR
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 8997; 114501 (Other Identifier: Western University's Human Research Ethics)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No