PHOENIX — A potentially groundbreaking study is underway at Barrow Neurological Institute, aiming to identify an elusive prize: a clinical biomarker of PTSD.

If one Arizona researcher’s hypothesis is correct, a test may one day be available to diagnose PTSD the same way an MRI reveals a tumor or a blood test indicates diabetes. A PTSD scan would make diagnosis and treatment quicker and more effective.

“PTSD currently lacks a reliable and compelling clinically relevant biomarker,” said Dr. Frank Schraml, former Chief of Nuclear Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix. “A test like this, if it comes to fruition, would be very valuable.”

Arizona volunteers needed to complete study

Schraml’s research examines dopamine pathways in the brain related to movement, energy, motivation and t

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