VA Research Wrap Up: New Findings on Telehealth, PTSD and Wheelchair Sports

The VA Office of Research and Development has released three News Briefs covering advances in telehealth for rural Veterans, biological markers for PTSD, and a new rugby wheelchair design.

A key initiative, the VA Clinical Resource Hubs program, delivers telemental health services to Veterans in rural areas facing difficulties obtaining mental healthcare. From 2020 to 2024, the VA Clinical Resource Hubs program delivered over twice as much mental healthcare to Veterans living in rural areas. Video sessions grew from just 9.2 percent of the program's mental health care in 2020 to 64.3 percent by 2024.

A separate investigation by scientists at VA Boston pinpointed blood-based indicators potentially capable of forecasting the future intensity of PTSD symptoms and the associated deterioration in cognitive function. Differences in the functioning of CLDN5, a gene that plays a key role in preserving the blood-brain barrier's integrity, were associated with chronic PTSD symptoms. VA Boston researchers discovered that biomarkers tied to CLDN5 regulation make it possible to forecast, five years ahead, greater PTSD symptom severity along with cognitive and memory difficulties.

A third research brief details a new rugby wheelchair that can be built for about $1,000, a sharp reduction from the $5,000 to $12,000 typical cost of exercise and sports wheelchairs. In prototype chairs, eleven participants carried out typical rugby exercises.