VA Research Wrap Up: New findings on telehealth, PTSD and wheelchair sports

VA’s Office of Research and Development recently published three News Briefs highlighting a VA telehealth program for rural Veterans, PTSD biomarkers and a design for a rugby wheelchair.

Telehealth program doubles rural Veterans’ mental health care access

The VA Clinical Resource Hubs program uses telemental health to help Veterans in rural communities who are struggling to access mental healthcare. According to an analysis by VA Puget Sound researchers, the program more than doubled mental healthcare provided to rural Veterans from 2020 to 2024.

The number of rural sites participating in the program also doubled, and racial and ethnic diversity of those receiving telehealth mental care increased steadily, suggesting the program is successfully reaching underserved Veteran populations. The leap seems driven by increased use of video visits across 18 regional Clinical Resource Hubs, eliminating lengthy travel to clinics for rural Veterans, as the study also found the percentage of mental health care from video sessions went from 9.2% in 2020 to 64.3% by 2024. The results prove VA’s Clinical Resource Hub program has reduced gaps in mental health for rural Veterans.

View the full study from the “Telemedicine Journal and e-Health.”

Blood biomarkers may predict PTSD severity

VA Boston researchers identified blood biomarkers that may be able to predict future PTSD symptom severity and cognitive decline related to PTSD.

Previously, the researchers learned chronic PTSD symptoms were related to differences in how the gene CLDN5 functions, which is important to maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Breakdown of the blood-brain barrier could permit greater passage of inflammatory molecules from the blood to the brain and lead to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Now researchers have found they can use biomarkers of CLDN5 regulation to predict increased PTSD symptom severity and cognitive and memory problems five years in advance.

View the full study from the “Journal of Behavioral Medicine.”

Engineers design $1,000 rugby wheelchair

Exercise and sports wheelchairs typically cost between $5,000 and $12,000, barring many wheelchair users from participating in adaptive sports, but VA researchers with the Human Engineering Research Laboratories recently designed a wheelchair for rugby that can be built for about $1,000.

The new design is based on kirigami, a Japanese art form of folding and cutting paper. Constructing the wheelchair out of folded sheet metal rather than the standard welded tubular metal drastically reduces the cost. Eleven participants performed common rugby drills in prototype chairs and praised the design’s potential for adjustability and repairability, as well as its implications for removing barriers to participating in wheelchair sports.

View the full study from the “Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Engineering.”

For more Office of Research and Development updates, visit ORD online or go to https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/.