Efficacy of Nitrous Oxide in OCD: Pilot Study

NCT03826693 | Recruiting Phase 2 FDA Drug

• 1 other identifier: 48077
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigates whether the commonly used and well-tolerated inhaled anesthetic nitrous oxide can rapidly improve symptoms of OCD.

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Keywords

OCD; nitrous oxide

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Improvement in the severity of OCD symptoms as measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS)

  Improvement in OCD severity is measured by the YBOCS (Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale), a gold standard measure of obsessions and compulsions. For the YBOCS the minimum units are 0 and Maximum units on the total scale are 40. The higher the number on the YBOCS, the more severe the symptoms. Response is defined as at least a 35% reduction on the YBOCS.

  1 week

Study Arms (2)

Experimental: Nitrous Oxide

EXPERIMENTAL

OCD participants in this arm will receive 50%oxygen/50% nitrous oxide admixture for 60 minutes.

Drug: Nitrous Oxide

Control: Nitrogen

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

OCD participants in this arm will receive 50%oxygen/50% nitrogen admixture for 60 minutes.

Drug: Nitrogen

Interventions

Nitrous Oxide DRUG

OCD participants in this arm will receive 50%oxygen/50% nitrous oxide admixture for 60 minutes.

Experimental: Nitrous Oxide

Nitrogen DRUG

OCD participants in this arm will receive 50%oxygen/50% nitrogen admixture for 60 minutes.

Control: Nitrogen

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-65
• Primary diagnosis of OCD
• Sufficient severity of OCD symptoms
• Ability to tolerate a treatment-free period
• Capacity to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Psychiatric or medical conditions that make participation unsafe
• Pregnant or nursing females
• Concurrent use of any medications that might increase the risk of participation (e.g. drug interactions)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stanford University: lead
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Stanford University

Stanford, California, 94304, United States

RECRUITING

Related Links

• Stanford Medicine Faculty Page
• Rodriguez Lab Website

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Interventions

Nitrous Oxide; Nitrogen

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Anxiety Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nitrogen Oxides; Gases; Inorganic Chemicals; Nitrogen Compounds; Oxides; Oxygen Compounds; Elements

Study Officials

• Peter J van Roessel, MD, PhD

  Stanford Univeristy

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Pavithra Mukunda, MS

CONTACT

650-723-4095; ocdresearch@stanford.edu

Sindu Menon, MBBS

CONTACT

650-723-4095; ocdresearch@stanford.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 2
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Model Details: placebo-controlled 2:1 randomized clinical trial.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2019
• First Posted: February 1, 2019
• Study Start: April 17, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 27, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)