Ketamine & Stellate Ganglion Block for TBI-Headache or PTSD
Randomized, placebo-controlled trial testing ketamine and stellate ganglion block — alone or combined — for the TBI-associated headache and PTSD common in deployed service members. Sites include Walter Reed and Womack Army Medical Center.
This is an interventional study — the research team administers the treatment under a controlled, IRB-approved protocol. Participation never happens outside that protocol.
- Substance
- Ketamine
- Status
- Recruiting now
- Conditions
- PTSD, TBI
- Who can join
- Adults 18+ with TBI-headache and/or PTSD
- Where
- IL · MD · NC (incl. military medical centers)
- Run by
- Northwestern University
- Registry ID
- NCT06608277 ↗
How to join this study
Call or email the study team directly. You do not go through Psychedelic Vets — we just make the door easier to find.
Contact details as published by the sponsor, last verified 2026-04. People move on — if this doesn't reach anyone, check ClinicalTrials.gov.
What taking part involves
Stellate ganglion block with the local anesthetic (LA) bupivacaine and placebo (1-7 mg midazolam + normal saline) ketamine. The stellate ganglion block will be performed with approximately 8 mL bupivacaine using ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance. The placebo ketamine will consist of an initial 1-4 mg bolus of midazolam followed by boluses or an infusion (in normal saline) of midazolam up to 7 mg, over 30-60 minutes.
Sham SGB will be 1-2 mL of saline given subcutaneously using ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance. The ketamine will consist of Prior to the sham Stellate Ganglion Block procedure, the study drug ketamine or normal saline will be administered by one of the study team physicians. 100 ml bag will be administered by bolus/infusion or intermittent boluses up to 0.3 mg/kg). The ketamine infusion will start before the sham block where patients will be given 1-4 mg of midazolam + up to 0.3 mg/kg of ketamine, as bolus doses. Over the next 30-60 minutes patients will receive between 0.5-1 mg/kg total dose of ketamine, + additional midazolam as needed.
These patients will receive both SGB with bupivacaine + ketamine as described above.
These patients will receive the sham SGB + placebo ketamine as described above.
Who can join
Listed as the research team wrote them. This is not a decision about you — only the study team can say whether you are eligible, and the only way to find out is to ask them.
What the study is looking for
- 1. Adults 18 years or older
- 2. Stable doses of medications for \> 2 weeks for TBI and/or PTSD
- 3. For TBI-associated headache with or without PTSD: HIT-6 score of \>/=53. For PTSD with or without TBI-associated headache: PCL-5 score \>/=33 OR. For those with TBI and PTSD, and a HIT-6 score \< 53 and PCL-5 score of \<33, individuals with a HIT-6 score of 50-52 and a PCL-5 score of 31 or 32 will be included.
- 4. Duration of chronic TBI or PTSD \> 3 months
What would rule you out
- 1. Ketamine infusion or SGB within the past 6 months
- 2. Serious medical or psychiatric conditions other than TBI or PTSD that could affect cognition (e.g., dementia, Parkinson's Disease)
- 3. Elevated intracranial pressure
- 4. For TBI, prior history of headache that can explain the headache intensity (i.e., headache not attributable to TBI)
- 5. Active psychosis or poorly controlled non-injury or PTSD-related psychiatric condition (e.g., bipolar disorder)
- 6. Poorly controlled medical conditions that could be exacerbated by treatment (e.g., unstable angina)
- 7. Pregnancy (women of childbearing age who can become pregnant will have to take a pregnancy test)
- 8. Non-fluency in English (poor generalizability to military and veteran populations, instruments not validated for use or translated in many languages)
You enroll directly with the research team through their own official page and IRB-approved consent process. Psychedelic Vets does not run this study or collect any of your health information.
Study data is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine) and verified university/nonprofit sources. This page is educational and is not medical advice or an endorsement. Details can change — always confirm on the official page above. ← Back to all studies
