University of Toledo professor receives $3.38 million grant

Associate professor of psychiatry in the University’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences Dr. Xin Wang received a $3.38 million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health to study the early development of PTSD in trauma victims. The grant will be dispersed over a four-year period, starting with $755,000 in 2016.

Wang’s proposal was reviewed and ranked in the top fourth percentile for major research among his competition. With the help of a pilot grant from NIH, Wang first created his study in 2013 using automobile accident victims. His research at UT has gained national and international attention from PTSD researchers.

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur visited the University of Toledo Medical Center to deliver the award Monday morning.

“PTSD will touch all of our lives, either personally or through a loved one, friend or colleague,” said Kaptur. “Combat, car accidents, blunt force trauma and contact sports are but a few examples of injuries that can lead to this condition. Dr. Wang’s research could identify and lead to new medical responses for those most likely to suffer from PTSD.”

Wang’s research will involve a year of monitoring on trauma patients at The University of Toledo Medical Center and The Promedica and Mercy Health Systems. These patients will be evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, which is only available at UTMC.

“This cutting edge technology is a safe, non-invasive and non-radioactive way to examine the brain for mechanisms of PTSD development after acute trauma,” Wang said. “Patients will be tracked for one year to identify possible changes in the brain that differentiate the PTSD development and normal recovery free of stress symptoms. We hope to identify the early changes in brain that occur in the days following a trauma that place a patient at high risk of developing the disorder.”

It is estimated that 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.

“PTSD can manifest itself in a number of symptoms ranging from nightmares and flashbacks to paranoia, irritability and difficulty concentrating, said Wang. “Patients experiencing PTSD can find it to be relatively minor or totally disruptive to everyday activities. It is our goal to monitor brain changes that occur during the progression of PTSD symptoms to develop future preventative or curative treatments and improve the lives of those who experience a traumatic event.”