Can stress explain the link between obesity and high blood pressure?

NCT ID NCT04838678

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 03, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study asks how the nervous system tells blood vessels to narrow during stress, and whether obesity or high blood pressure changes that signal. Researchers will measure nerve activity and blood flow in about 100 adults, some with obesity, some with hypertension, and some with both. Participants will undergo lab stress tests like low oxygen and exercise, plus receive a drug called neuropeptide Y to see how blood vessels respond. The goal is to better understand the body's stress response, not to test a new treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Neuropeptide Y (intra-arterial infusion)
What this could lead to
If this trial succeeds, it could reveal why obesity and hypertension make blood vessels overreact to stress, pointing toward new treatments that calm the nervous system's effect on blood pressure.
What could go wrong
This is an early, small study focused on understanding mechanisms, not on testing a treatment. Results may not lead directly to new therapies, and the lab stress tests may not fully reflect real-life stress.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Early phase 1

The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 55 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Control - BMI\<30, age 18-55 * Hypertensive - BMI\<30, age 18-55, diagnosis of hypertension by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring Obese- BMI\>30, age 18-55 Obese-hypertensive- BMI\>30, age 18-55, diagnosis of hypertension by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring Exclusion Criteria: All groups - presence of other significant cardiovascular disease, renal disease, history of smoking, diabetes,

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Dallas, Texas, 75231, United States

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