Can calming the nerves protect PTSD patients' hearts?
NCT ID NCT01627301
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at why people with PTSD have a higher risk of heart problems. Researchers will measure nerve activity and test if two daily therapies—a breathing technique or a mild nerve stimulation device—can calm the overactive nervous system. About 120 veterans with and without PTSD will take part.
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
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2012
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * prehypertensive and normotensive veterans with PTSD, and prehypertensive and normotensive veterans without PTSD (controls) Exclusion Criteria: * heart or vascular disease * illicit drug use within the last 6 months * excessive alcohol use (\>2 drinks per day) * pregnancy * autonomic dysfunction * medications known to affect SNS (clonidine) * treatment with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors within the last 14 days * any serious systemic disease
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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Atlanta VA Medical Center
RECRUITINGDecatur, Georgia, 30033, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a mindfulness class help veterans with concussion and PTSD?
- Can MDMA plus therapy help veterans fight both PTSD and alcohol addiction?