Cambridge Cognition : wins US Dept of Defense contract to explore cognition in PTSD

PTSD affects around 15 million adults a year and up to 31% of veterans, many of whom do not experience relief from their symptoms with existing medications. It has been suggested that the symptoms of PTSD could directly lead to deficits in executive functioning, including re-experiencing memories, problems with concentration, and hyperarousal interrupting working memory performance.

Only two pharmacological treatments for PTSD have received FDA-approval. One reason for this could be that drug response is highly variable between affected individuals, making it difficult to develop effective treatments. In efforts to address the therapeutic need, the United States Department of Defense is developing a precision medicine approach to PTSD. Cambridge Cognition has been selected as a cognitive assessment provider for the project because CANTAB^TM offers accurate measurement of the potentially distinct pathophysiological processes involved in PTSD.

Pharmaceutical companies are also investigating the potential for new drug classes for PTSD. Recently, a top 10 pharmaceutical company has contracted with Cambridge Cognition to be their cognitive assessment partner for an upcoming PTSD treatment trial. In delivering the contract, Cambridge Cognition will provide its proprietary cognitive assessment tool, CANTAB^TM, as an exploratory endpoint.

Matthew Stork, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Cognition, said:

Cognitive impairment is increasingly recognised as a major component of PTSD. At Cambridge Cognition, we are pleased to be providing the company's expertise to monitor cognitive symptoms with a view to improving outcomes for those suffering from the after-effects of major trauma.