PTSD and heart electrical stability in Vietnam-era veterans
Official title: Association of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Cardiac Electrical Instability: A Twin Study
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11127464 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether PTSD is linked to unstable heart rhythms in male Vietnam-era veterans using week-long heart monitoring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $686,218 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL155711-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11127464 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are male Vietnam-era veterans who are enrolled in the Vietnam Era Twin Registry and willing to undergo one week of continuous heart monitoring and related assessments.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not Vietnam-era male veterans, not in the twin registry, or without PTSD are unlikely to be eligible or to directly benefit from this study.
What this research studies
You would join a group of up to 1,000 male Vietnam-era twins recruited from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry and wear heart-monitoring devices for about a week while researchers also measure PTSD symptoms, sleep, and autonomic function. The team will collect continuous ECG data and analyze markers of electrical instability such as T-wave alternans. Using twin pairs helps the researchers separate the effects of PTSD from shared genes and early-life factors. The study combines remote/mobile sensors and telehealth methods with in-person coordination through Emory and VA collaborators.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify people with PTSD who are at higher risk for dangerous heart rhythms so clinicians can target monitoring and prevention.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier preliminary work and smaller studies have suggested links between acute stress or PTSD and ECG markers like T-wave alternans, but large twin-based research of this type is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shah, Amit Jasvant — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Shah, Amit Jasvant
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.