Sympathetic Overactivity in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-65
SponsorEmory University
About this trial
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent anxiety disorder that is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and hypertension. One potential mechanism is overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), both at rest and particularly during stress. This study will evaluate whether 8 weeks of daily DGB therapy or transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) therapy improves SNS activity at rest and during stress.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
prehypertensive and normotensive veterans with PTSD, and prehypertensive and normotensive veterans without PTSD (controls)
Disqualifiers
heart or vascular disease
illicit drug use within the last 6 months
excessive alcohol use (>2 drinks per day)
pregnancy
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Device-Guided Breathing (DGB)
- Sham DGB
- Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation (tVNS)
- Sham tVNS
Treatment groups
120 Participants
are divided into 4 treatment groupsSponsors and collaborators
Emory University
Lead sponsor
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov