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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Title: Novel Technologies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Committee:
Dr. Omer Inan, ECE, Chair , Advisor
Dr. Robert Butera, ECE
Dr. Douglas Bremner, Emory
Dr. Hua Wang, ECE
Dr. Javier Hernandez, Microsoft Research
Abstract: The objective of this research is identifying and developing novel technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First, we will focus on how noninvasive sensing modalities could be instrumented and used in conjunction with signal processing and machine learning methods to quantify an individual’s autonomic state. Second, a mechanistic, sham-controlled, randomized, double blind study on the use of noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) for dampening stress response will be investigated in multiple dimensions: downstream physiological effects, biochemical biomarkers, and brain imaging, with a particular focus on real-time physiological biomarkers of nVNS and their potential for closing the loop for machine learning guided personalized neuromodulation. Finally, an objective diagnosis methodology for PTSD will be presented. These methodologies lay the groundwork for future efforts to objectively diagnose and treat PTSD remotely, outside of clinical settings.
