There are many visible scars which are left on the bodies of war veterans, but for most the deepest scars are those that we can’t see. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people who experience a traumatic event develop post traumatic stress disorders at some point in their lives. Members of the armed forces are more likely than the rest of us to experience extreme trauma during their lifetime. Unfortunately it is not currently known why some people develop PTSD and why others do not or how to treat it at an early stage.
A study being carried out in the United States aims to create more effective interventions for trauma survivors. The study is taking place at the University of North Carolina and some interesting wrist watch technology is being used to help make this study a success.
The AURORA Study
This study will be the first time that that researchers are going to work together to evaluate the biological basis of post traumatic stress disorders. One of the aims of the study is to work out how these disorders develop, which is something that we don’t currently understand. This will be achieved with continuous evaluation of participants for a year, starting in the immediate aftermath of the traumatic event. The study will include genomic, neuroimaging, neurocognitive, behavioural, and symptom assessments in order to capture as much data as possible.
The other aims of the study are to characterise post traumatic stress disorders at a biological level and to develop tools which will help identify individuals who may be at risk as early as possible. It will be an incredible breakthrough for potential PTSD sufferers if these aims can be achieved. Hope is high that this breakthrough can happen, especially with a $21-million grant from the National Institutes of Health. However, Dr Samuel McLean advised that they do need to raise further funding to make sure that the aims can be reached:
“Twenty-one million dollars sounds like a heck of a lot of money, and it is, but given the very high costs of the latest science – comprehensive molecular, neuroimaging, and bioinformatic methods – we actually need to leverage these public dollars with private support so that we can take full advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to advance care for veterans and civilian survivors of traumas such as sexual assault.”
The study will not only be the largest in terms of the data captured, but it will also be the largest in terms of size. The initial goal for the number of participants is 5,000 people who will be enrolled in the study in the emergency department following the trauma.
Google’s Wrist Watch Technology
The University of North Carolina are going to require all of the latest technology and techniques to be able to achieve the aims they have set. This is why they have linked up with one of the biggest technology corporations on the planet, Google, to help provide some incredibly important wrist watch technology.
Google are a natural fit for this study as they already have their own medical arm, Verily Life Services. As part of this study, Verily Life Services will be developing a new technology which will be used in a study watch across the 19 sites. Verily Life Services was launched in December 2015 and is already working on a number of interesting projects such as contact lenses for diabetics which checks glucose levels.
The watch just displays the time but has sensors inside which collects all sorts of incredibly vital data for the study, such as heart rate and electrocardiograms. Dr McLean advised that it “collects a more complex suite of physiologic data than anything else around.” The information collected will be fed into Google Cloud services which will help the researchers in their study. According to Dr McLean the watch helps us understand “how can we identify people who are not recovering the way that we would hope, to be able to develop early interventions.” If this study is a success then it will be a fantastic step forward for future PTSD sufferers as suffers often struggle for years before receiving a diagnosis.
Conclusion
While most wrist watch technology websites are reporting on the latest consumer devices, the most important technological advances are being made in the medical sector. Unfortunately, these technological advances don’t often end up on all the news sites like the new Apple Watch or Android Wear device does! The AURORA study has started enrolling patients over the summer who will be monitored for the next year. Hopefully, we will soon hear about some important breakthroughs in the area of PTSD research.
