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Sympathetic Overactivity in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Mechanisms of Sympathetic Overactivity in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Who can join
Ages 18 to 65 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
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
About the study
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.
What is being tested
- Device-Guided Breathing (DGB) (device)
- Sham DGB (device)
- Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) (device)
- Sham tVNS (device)
Sponsor: Emory University · Participants: 120 · Started: 2012-07
Contact the study team
- Deirdre Dixon, MS · Phone: 404-321-6111
- Jeanie Park, MD · Phone: 404-321-6111
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT01627301
Locations in the U.S.
| Georgia | Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.