Ketamine to boost fear extinction and memory on PTSD patients
Official title: Using Ketamine to enhance memory reconsolidation and extinction of overgeneralized fear in individuals diagnosed with PTSD
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11592530 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study testing whether ketamine can help people with PTSD better relearn and forget fear when given in a guided treatment plan.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $209,903 |
| NIH project number | 3R33MH129559-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11592530 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with PTSD who are undergoing or preparing to undergo trauma-focused therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without PTSD or those not receiving exposure-based therapies may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
This project looks at using ketamine to enhance how patients with PTSD forget fear memories and learn new, safer responses. It builds on intensive exposure therapies that are shorter but sometimes less effective, aiming to improve outcomes and reduce dropouts. Researchers will examine how ketamine affects brain processes related to fear, including the amygdala and related networks, in the context of PTSD treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could shorten and strengthen PTSD treatment by making fear memories easier to update and reduce symptoms more quickly.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier work suggests ketamine can reduce PTSD symptoms during treatment, but results have been mixed and further study is needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Ketamine to boost memory reconsolidation and fear extinction in PTSD
A study at Yale will test whether ketamine given around intensive exposure therapy helps people with PTSD learn to forget or reduce fear more effectively.
-
Using ketamine to improve memory and reduce fear in people with PTSD
This study is looking at whether ketamine, a medication usually used for anesthesia, can help people with PTSD by improving their memory and reducing fear responses when combined with therapy, aiming to make treatment more effective and quicker for those who struggle with this condition.
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Understanding fear system wiring in PTSD and how brain myelin changes relate to symptoms
Researchers are studying how changes in brain myelin in PTSD might drive abnormal fear processing and connectivity to help guide new treatments.
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Understanding how the brain learns to avoid fear in PTSD patients
This study is looking at how the brain helps people with PTSD learn to avoid things that scare them and how this connects to overcoming their fears, using brain scans to compare those with PTSD and those who have experienced trauma but don’t have PTSD.
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Understanding how fear is learned and remembered in PTSD
This study is looking at how people with PTSD learn to recognize and remember threats, so we can create better treatments that help them manage their fears in everyday life.
-
Cholinergic Brain Pathways in PTSD and Fear Extinction
We’re studying a brain chemical system (acetylcholine and a key receptor) to understand fear learning and PTSD better, with people who’ve experienced trauma.
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.