Can cannabis calm the brain? new study scans Veterans' brains for clues
NCT ID NCT07222306
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study will use brain scans to see how cannabis affects inflammation and brain activity in up to 100 U.S. military veterans with PTSD and suicidal thoughts. Participants will take cannabis for 12 weeks and have PET and MRI scans before and after. The goal is to link brain changes to improvements in PTSD symptoms and quality of life, which could help personalize cannabis-based treatments.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cannabis (THC and CBD combinations)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help identify which veterans with PTSD benefit most from cannabis-based treatments, leading to more personalized care.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage imaging study, not a treatment trial. It may not show clear links between brain changes and symptom improvement, and results may not apply to all veterans.
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.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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.
Who is studied
Military veterans with PTSD
- Ages
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19 to 69 years
- Sex
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Anyone
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Eligible for, and provided written informed consent to participate in, the Parent Study (NCT06381180) and to be contacted regarding 'future research studies.' * Able/willing to provide written informed consent to participate in the Neuroimaging Study. Exclusion Criteria (eligible if the subject does not meet both criteria): * Contraindications for MRI scanning include, but are not limited to: as braces, pacemaker, implanted metal (self-report MR screening form and ferromagnetic detectors) or medical conditions that prevent comfortable MRI scanning procedures, e.g., inability to lay supine for 60 minutes, claustrophobia, or body weight \> 275lbs. * Contraindications for PET \[18F\]FETrp imaging include, but are not limited to: chronic medical conditions that alter radiotracer pharmacokinetic properties, e.g, Diabetes I/II (or uncontrolled glucose levels \[\>200mg/dl non-fasting\]), abnormal BMI (\<18.5 or \> 35kg/m2), autoimmune diseases, or other chronic inflammatory conditions, or take medications (3+ days/week) that will alter radiotracer binding, e.g., glucose stabilizing medications, proton-pump inhibitors, or anti-inflammatory agents, or have medical conditions that prevent comfortable PET scanning procedures, e.g., inability to lay supine for \~75 minutes, tolerate a radial vein catheter and up to 35ml of whole blood drawn, or body weight \> 275lbs.
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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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tolan Park Medical Building
Detroit, Michigan, 48201, United States
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