Intra-Sessional Autonomic Arc Detection in Ketamine-Assisted Therapy for PTSD: A Signal Characterisation Pilot Study
Starting soon
Conditions studied: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In brief
This study examines whether a continuous wearable biosensor and a proprietary signal detection algorithm (JungleCODE, Open Medicine Studio) can detect and characterise the autonomic nervous system arc - a trajectory from a state of high physiological arousal (aporia) to a state of regulated calm (ataraxia) - during ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT) sessions in adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants independently arrange their own ketamine-assisted therapy sessions with a licensed British Columbia provider. The researcher does not administer ketamine or any other substance. The researcher's role is continuous physiological monitoring via a wrist-worn biosensor (EmbracePlus, Empatica) and a structured post-session interview only. The primary purpose is to determine whether the JungleCODE arc-position detection algorithm can identify a consistent, characterisable autonomic trajectory within KAT sessions, and to assess the feasibility of this monitoring protocol. This is a pilot signal characterisation study (N=2-6); no therapeutic outcomes are assessed and no clinical claims are made.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07614581
- Run by
- Adriaan Dirk van der Wart
- People needed
- 5
- Starts
- 2026-07-15
- Expected to finish
- 2026-09-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-05-29
Who can join
Age: 19 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Adults aged 19 to 65 years
- Currently enrolled in or referred for equine-assisted therapy at the study facility
- No prior relationship with the therapy horse assigned to their study sessions
- Able to wear a chest-strap heart rate monitor comfortably for 35 minutes
- Able to provide written informed consent in English
- Willing to have sessions video recorded for research purposes
You may not qualify if…
- Diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia of any type
- Implanted cardiac device including pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
- Current use of beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, digoxin, or any other medication known to suppress or significantly alter heart rate variability
- Active psychosis or acute psychiatric crisis at time of enrolment
- Inability to provide written informed consent
- Pregnancy
- Prior participation in this study under a different horse pairing
Where it is running
- Open Medicine Studio — Ganges, British Columbia, Canada
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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