AURORA in the News
2023
Identifying Pain, Sleep, Anxiety Biomarkers Related to Post-traumatic Stress with Technology
January 13, 2023 ● 2-minute read ● Based on the identified biomarkers, it was possible to distinguish patients with a good predictive value for pain, sleep, and anxiety.
Wearable Device-Detected Biomarkers Could ID Symptoms After Trauma
January 13, 2023 ● 2-minute read ● Changes in the number of transitions between sleep and wake over time linked to changes in pain, sleep, anxiety.
2022
UNC Health: Specific Brain Responses to Traumatic Stress Linked to PTSD Risk
July 26, 2022 ● 3-minute read ● Read about results from the AURORA Study and how Principal Investigator, Dr. Samuel McLean, found an association between reduced hippocampal activity and risk of severe PTSD symptoms.
One Mind: Sam McLean, MD, MPH speaks about the AURORA study on trauma
June 29, 2022 ● 2-minute video ● Hear Dr. Samuel McLean, organizing Principal Investigator of the One Mind-funded AURORA Study, describe Lauren Lebois, PhD et al.’s latest findings about trauma and derealization.
Science Daily: Feelings of Detachment Predict Worse Mental Health Outcomes after Trauma
June 22, 2022 ● 2-minute read ● Following trauma, feeling detached from one’s surroundings may suggest a higher risk of later developing serious mental health conditions. It’s important to screen for feeling detached to identify patients who might benefit from preventive care.
2021
UNC Health: Brain Activity Patterns after Trauma May Predict Long-Term Mental Health
October 26, 2021 ● 3-minute read ● This Emory-led study shows a link between post-trauma brain activity and symptoms of anxiety and PTSD six months later. It is part of the AURORA study, led nationally by Sam McLean, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine.
2018
UNC “Vital Signs”: Researchers Receive $5 Million to Expand Study of Posttraumatic Neurologic, Mental Health Disorders
September 27, 2018 ● 3-minute read ● Led by Dr. Samuel McLean, UNC School of Medicine researchers and collaborators received $5 million from the NIH and Department of Defense to expand the AURORA Study, the most comprehensive longitudinal study of trauma survivors ever performed.
NIH “News in Health”: Dealing with Trauma: Recoverying from Frightening Events
June 2018 ● 6-minute read ● Dr. Samuel McLean describes how findings from the AURORA Study will improve PTSD diagnostics.
New York Times: How Companies Scour Our Digital Lives for Clues to Our Health
February 25, 2018 ● 8-minute read ● An emerging field, digital phenotyping, tries to assess people’s well-being based on their interactions with digital devices.
2017
Business Wire: Staglin Family Announces Over 280 Million Dollars Raised to Date
September 18, 2017 ● 3-minute read ● The Staglin family and the ONE MIND Board of Directors announced that the 23-year cumulative total, including direct contributions and leveraged funds provided to scientists as a result of initial research funding from festival proceeds, has surpassed $280 million dollars since 1995.
One Mind: Brain Changes in Response to a Life Threat
September 18, 2017 ● 3-minute read ● Dr. Samuel McLean, Director, University of North Carolina Institute of Trauma Recovery and Organizing Principal Investigator for the AURORA Study shares how the brain changes in response to a stressful, traumatic event. Filmed at the Scientific Symposium of One Mind’s 2017 Music Festival for Brain Health.
Verily: Researching post-traumatic conditions with Study Watch
July 17, 2017 ● 2-minute read ● Verily is excited to join the University of North Carolina- and Harvard-led AURORA Study, a groundbreaking five-year observational study of 5,000 individuals experiencing trauma, as a research partner.
PBS News Hour: Can science make diagnosing PTSD less of an ordeal?
March 30, 2017 ● 3-minute read ● Special correspondent Soledad O’Brien reports on the difficulties patients can face when physicians struggle to accurately identify their condition.
2016
Carolina Alumni Review: UNC Will Take Lead in Major Posttraumatic Stress Study
October 25, 2016 ● 3-minute read ● Dr. Samuel McLean discusses plans for the $21 million AURORA Study.