# THE ROLE OF TESTOSTERONE IN MODULATING NEURAL RESPONSE TO THREAT CUES AND DURING EMOTION REGULATION IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

> **NIH NIH K01** · FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME · 2020 · $110,940

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The applicant's long-term objective is to develop a research program focusing on understanding biological
mechanisms underpinning externalizing behaviors, including those associated with PTSD, in order to facilitate
the development of improved strategies to reduce these behaviors. This is consistent with the NIMH's mission
to reduce the burden of mental illness. The applicant's medium-term objective is to become an independent,
NIH-funded investigator and a recognized expert in neural and endocrine mechanisms implicated in trauma
and aggression. The applicant will accomplish this by i) deepening an existing competency in fMRI with
advanced functional connectivity methods; ii) broadening an existing competency in conducting clinical
research by gaining experience working in a residential treatment facility and by acquiring training in PTSD
assessment techniques; and iii) gaining new competency in endocrinology research.
 PTSD effects an estimated > 21 million Americans and >30% of PTSD patients do not respond to
treatment. PTSD may manifest in the brain as increased neural response to threat cues and disrupted neural
responses during emotion regulation. Evidence of PTSD may also present in the body; i.e., as high levels of
testosterone. The link between testosterone, neural responses and PTSD is poorly understood. A better
understanding of the biological mechanisms underpinning PTSD would likely facilitate the development of
improved interventions. Thus, this proposal aims to (i) determine the extent to which testosterone
responsiveness modulates response to threat cues in youth with PTSD and (ii) determine the extent to
which testosterone responsiveness modulates emotion regulation deficits in youth with PTSD.
 The applicant proposes to accomplish these aims by recruiting 38 adolescent patients with PTSD and 38
comparison adolescents (aged 14-17; half male; controlling for pubertal status) from a large residential
treatment program. A counter-balanced repeated-measures design will be employed where participants will
complete an fMRI paradigm designed to assess response to threat and emotion regulation following a
testosterone manipulation. Pilot data indicates that a testosterone response can be non-invasively elicited by a
social challenge paradigm. Participants will complete the fMRI task following this challenge paradigm or
following a paradigm designed to reduce T levels. It is anticipated that the proposed study will show the extent
to which an increase in T is associated with an increased responsiveness to emotional stimuli and reduced
emotion regulation in youth with PTSD. As current intervention strategies for pediatric PTSD do not consider
the role of T, these data will be important in the development of novel treatment modalities.
 The proposed research would take place at Boys Town, Omaha, NE and Iowa State Univ. Participants will
be drawn from the approximately 500 youth in residential treatment at Boys Town ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9899114
- **Project number:** 5K01MH110643-04
- **Recipient organization:** FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME
- **Principal Investigator:** Stuart F. White
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $110,940
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-15 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9899114

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9899114, THE ROLE OF TESTOSTERONE IN MODULATING NEURAL RESPONSE TO THREAT CUES AND DURING EMOTION REGULATION IN POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (5K01MH110643-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9899114. Licensed CC0.

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