What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on symptoms, brain microstructure, and functionality in veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What They Found
Of 35 randomised veterans, 29 completed the protocol, with the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) group showing significant improvement in clinician-administered PTSD scale-V (CAPS-V) scores (P<0.0001) compared to controls. The HBOT group also demonstrated significant improvements in brief symptom inventory (BSI) scores (P=0.024) and BECK depression inventory (BDI) scores (P=0.01), along with improved brain activity in fMRI.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada nor involved Canadian participants or researchers.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its relatively small sample size and the lack of an active control group, which could impact the generalizability of the findings.