Could a neck injection boost talk therapy for PTSD?
NCT ID NCT06570213
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding a nerve block injection (stellate ganglion block) to standard talk therapy (cognitive processing therapy) helps reduce PTSD symptoms more than either treatment alone. About 270 adults with PTSD will be assigned to one of three groups: combination therapy, talk therapy plus a placebo injection, or the nerve block alone. The goal is to see which approach works best for short- and long-term symptom relief.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 270 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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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: * Are 18 years or older * Are fluent in English * Have experienced a Criterion A traumatic event during their lifetime * Have a PTSD diagnosis verified via the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 * Have not previously received a Stellate Ganglion Block * Have a smartphone that they can use for the entire duration of the study * Are willing and able to receive 2 injections (SGB or placebo) 2 weeks apart at the Rush Pain Clinic * Are willing and able to participate in daily Cognitive Processing Therapy or Daily Monitoring over the course of one week * Are willing and able to complete self-report measures and clinician-rated assessments at multiple time points over the course of the study Exclusion Criteria: * The traumatic event occurred in the past month * They are currently suicidal or homicidal (i.e., plan and intent) * They have unmanaged psychosis or mania * They have not been on a stable dose of psychotropic medication for at least one month by the time of the baseline assessment or are planning to change their medications within 3 months of starting their participation in the study * They have completed an evidence-based cognitive behavioral PTSD treatment (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure) in the past 3 months or are currently receiving an evidence-based PTSD treatment * They have an intellectual disability or significant cognitive impairment that would prevent them from engaging fully in treatment * They are currently on any blood-thinning medications or have a coagulopathy -They have any of the following conditions: a recent myocardial infarction, glaucoma, a pre- existing contralateral nerve palsy, severe emphysema, or a cardiac conduction blockade. * They are allergic to any of the medications injected (i.e., ropivacaine, lidocaine, propofol) * They have an active infection * They have a serious or unstable medical illness or instability for which hospitalization may be likely within the next year * They have a visual or auditory impairment that would prevent them from fully participating in study activities * They are involved with current legal actions related to the traumatic event that is anticipated to be targeted during treatment * They have substance dependence that, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, may require hospitalization if substances were discontinued. * Subjects who, at the time of consent, appear to have extenuating life circumstances (e.g., unstable housing, no internet access, etc.) which, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, could affect the ability to deliver the intervention with fidelity
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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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Rush University Medical Center
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Zapping the Brain's fear hub: a new hope for PTSD?
- Can a drug combo or therapy dogs ease PTSD?
- Can six short writing sessions ease PTSD in underserved patients?
- Can a psychedelic compound help veterans and first responders with PTSD and alcohol use disorder?