Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can develop in response to a traumatic event, and half of civilians living in inner-city areas with high levels of violence suffer from PTSD. The currently recommended treatment for PTSD is focused on discussing the trauma, but a third to half of patients cannot participate or do not benefit from this treatment, especially individuals with low levels of education or literacy. Therefore, new treatments for PTSD are needed.~The study will (1) assess feasibility of a TMS treatment in an underserved population; (2) determine if this TMS treatment protocol improves PTSD symptoms and biological markers of PTSD such as brain functioning and startle responses; (3) define new brain targets for future TMS studies; (4) provide the first data for individual differences, which will help personalize treatment for PTSD patients; (5) improve knowledge of the neurobiology of PTSD and treatment response.
The study will (1) assess feasibility of a TMS treatment in an underserved population; (2) determine if this TMS treatment protocol improves PTSD symptoms and biological markers of PTSD such as brain functioning and startle responses; (3) define new brain targets for future TMS studies; (4) provide the first data for individual differences, which will help personalize treatment for PTSD patients; (5) improve knowledge of the neurobiology of PTSD and treatment response.