Sleep disruption after mild brain injury may drive chronic post-traumatic headaches
Official title: Role of Sleep Disruption after mTBI as a Driver of Chronic Post-traumatic Headache
Funded at Seattle Inst for Biomedical/clinical Res · NIH-11353962 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study of people who have had a mild traumatic brain injury to see if sleep problems help explain why headaches linger, and whether a drug called prazosin could help.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Inst for Biomedical/clinical Res NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $600,311 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS129573-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11353962 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of mild traumatic brain injury experiencing persistent post-traumatic headaches.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without post-traumatic headaches after mTBI or those not experiencing sleep-related symptoms may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
If you’ve had a mild traumatic brain injury and ongoing headaches, this project looks at whether poor sleep plays a key role. The researchers will study how glymphatic brain clearance, which is influenced by sleep and noradrenergic signals, relates to post-traumatic headaches. They will test how repetitive impacts and blast injuries affect sleep-related brain clearance and whether prazosin can restore function and reduce symptoms. The team has preliminary mouse data suggesting prazosin improves glymphatic flow and headache-like symptoms, which they will extend to further experiments. The goal is to identify whether modulating sleep-related brain pathways can lessen chronic headaches after mTBI.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to new sleep- and drug-based strategies to reduce chronic headaches after head injuries.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical data in mice show prazosin can improve glymphatic function and PTH symptoms, supporting translation to human studies.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Inst for Biomedical/clinical Res
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Iliff, Jeffrey J — Seattle Inst for Biomedical/clinical Res
- Study coordinator: Iliff, Jeffrey J
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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.