Vagus Nerve Stimulation

15

Review clinical trials related to Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Use filters to narrow results by trial status, phase, treatment, biological sex and sponsor.

Condition / disease
Location
Status: Recruiting

Effects of Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation on Post-Surgical Return to Consciousness, Delirium, and Depression

This study will examine whether noninvasive, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tcVNS) can help restore consciousness in patients in the operating room and the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). The study will also investigate if tcVNS can expedite discharge from the PACU and examine whether tcVNS administerd in the PACU helps reduce delirium and depression after surgery. The study will also evaluate whether tcVNS speeds cognitive recovery from emergence of anesthesia and surgery.

Participants needed: 40
Trial details
Age: 18+Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Northwestern UniversityUpdated: May 28, 2026Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Aged > 18 years of age [+7]

Age < 18 years of age [+12]

Status: Not yet recruiting

How Does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Affect Blood Glucose, Food, and Movement Cravings?

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to examine physiological and psychological responses in a college-aged healthy population

Participants needed: 8
Trial details
Age: 18-35Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: University of MinnesotaUpdated: May 20, 2026Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 35 as we are focused on recruiti...

Participants will be excluded if they have epilepsy, clinically significant tach...

Status: Recruiting

The ENHANCE Study: taVNS and Psilocybin

This study will examine whether combining a single dose of psilocybin with non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a potential inducer of neuroplasticity and enhanced memory formation, will enhance the long-term beneficial behavioral effects of psilocybin when compared to sham taVNS or no VNS by allowing memory for insights gained during the psychedelic experience to remain vivid after they will have faded in subjects who receive psilocybin followed by sham taVNS or no VNS.

Participants needed: 108
Trial details
Phase: Phase 1Age: 18-70Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: University of Wisconsin, MadisonUpdated: Apr 3, 2026Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

English speaking [+5]

Clinically significant safety lab abnormalities (i.e., Complete Blood Count with... [+11]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Frequency-Dependent Effects of Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Autonomic and Cardiovascular Parameters

This randomized, sham-controlled, crossover study investigates the acute autonomic effects of transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) applied at five different frequencies (0 Hz/sham, 10 Hz, 25 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz) in healthy adults. The primary objective is to determine how stimulation frequency modulates heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The study aims to establish a frequency-specific dose-response model using validated physiological measurements.

Participants needed: 36
Trial details
Age: 18-30Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: SEFA HAKTAN HATIKUpdated: Dec 10, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

18-30 years [+5]

Pregnancy [+8]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Cognitive Performance and Sex Differences

This study investigates the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on cognitive performance in healthy adults. The study uses a sham-controlled, cross-over design in which each participant receives both active taVNS and sham stimulation in separate sessions. Each participant completes both conditions (active and sham) in a randomized order using a crossover design. Cognitive performance will be assessed before and after each session using standardized tests. The study also explores whether males and females respond differently to taVNS, in order to identify potential sex-related differences in cognitive outcomes.

Participants needed: 60
Trial details
Age: 18-30Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Bahçeşehir UniversityUpdated: Dec 1, 2025
Eligibility criteria

Healthy young adults aged 18-30 years [+4]

History of neurological or psychiatric disorders [+7]

Status: Recruiting

Respiratory-gated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improving Apathy in Parkinson's Disease

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether 100HZ respiratory-gated vagus nerve stimulation (RAVANS) can improve the non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). It will also learn the safety of 100HZ RAVANS. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can 100HZ RAVANS improve apathy in people with PD? Did the participants have any side effects or safety issues when undergoing 100HZ RAVANS? Researchers compared 100HZ RAVANS with sham stimulation (low-dose stimulation of the same site and treatment parameters) to see if 100HZ RAVANS could improve non-motor symptoms in patients with PD. Participants will: Receive 100HZ RAVANS or sham stimulation for 2 weeks. Neuropsychological assessment, imaging and biological sample collection were conducted before and after the entire cycle.

Participants needed: 60
Trial details
Age: 40-90Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Anhui Medical UniversityUpdated: Nov 19, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Meet the diagnostic criteria for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (based on the MD... [+5]

Prior brain MRI/CT showing focal brain lesions or severe white matter disease (F... [+9]

Status: Recruiting

Auricular Vagus Stimulation and STEMI

At the moment, the invasive strategy for the infarct-associated coronary artery in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) necessary to save the myocardium and reduce the size of the necrosis zone remains the leading one. However, despite the high efficiency of providing medical care to patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), there remains a high mortality and disability of this group of patients. In this regard, the search for new drug and non-drug strategies for the treatment of patients with ACS is actively continuing. Over the past decade, it has been shown that transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (TENS) has a cardioprotective effect both in chronic heart failure and in coronary heart disease, improves cardiac function, prevents reperfusion injury, weakens myocardial remodeling, increases the effectiveness of defibrillation and reduces the size of a heart attack. One of the methods of noninvasive stimulation of the afferent fibers of the vagus nerve is percutaneous electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. However, further studies are needed to determine whether stimulation of the tragus can improve the long-term clinical outcome in this cohort of patients.

Participants needed: 300
Trial details
Age: 40-75Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Bakulev Scientific Center of Cardiovascular SurgeryUpdated: Jun 18, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

patients with STEMI who have signed an informed voluntary consent to participate... [+3]

acute heart failure III-IV; [+5]

Status: Recruiting

Auricular Vagus Stimulation and Heart Rate Variability

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the auricular vagus nerve (TENS) is a promising method of neuromodulation of the autonomic nervous system in patients with various pathologies. The use of this method requires the determination of a reliable biomarker of successful activation of the vagus nerve using TENS. Currently, most studies focus on the assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Despite the physiological justification of HRV as a biomarker for TENS, the data on the effects of TENS on HRV are ambiguous. In some studies, a significant decrease in the ratio of spectral characteristics (LF/HF) in active TENS was found in comparison with fictitious stimulation (sham), which indicated an increase in the parasympathetic component of HRV. However, other studies have not revealed an increase in HRV.

Participants needed: 600
Trial details
Age: 18-75Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Bakulev Scientific Center of Cardiovascular SurgeryUpdated: Jun 18, 2025Locations: 3
Eligibility criteria

Sinus rhythm at the time of registration

Frequent ventricular / supraventricular extrasystole, 2d/3d degree AV Block [+3]

Status: Recruiting

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Quality of Recovery After Major Noncardiac Surgery

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a novel non-invasive neuromodulation technique. Existing evidence suggested that taVNS improves pain management, sleep quality, inflammatory responses, and gastrointestinal recovery after surgery. This study is designed to test the hypothesis that perioperative use of taVNS may improve quality of recovery in patients after major noncardiac surgery.

Participants needed: 320
Trial details
Age: 18-85Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Peking University First HospitalUpdated: Jun 3, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Aged ≥18 years but <85 years. [+1]

Lesions or infections of the auricle skin. [+7]

Status: Recruiting

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Prevents Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients

According to the 3D-CAM scale, evaluate the incidence of Postoperative Delirium within 5 days after surgery in elderly patients receiving taVNS.The results are expected to provide evidence of the safety and efficacy of perioperative prophylactic use of taVNS in the clinical application of improving postoperative brain health in elderly patients, as well as theoretical and practical basis for subsequent studies or clinical applications.

Participants needed: 1,776
Trial details
Age: 65+Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Beijing Tiantan HospitalUpdated: Apr 25, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Age≥65 years [+3]

Neurosurgery or cardiac surgery [+4]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Rehabilitation Paired with VNS for Motor Function Recovery

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) combined with rehabilitation in improving upper extremity motor function after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Researchers will evaluate the efficacy and safety of VNS by comparing the improvements of arm motor function post-ICH in the active VNS combined rehabilitation group with that in the sham VNS combined rehabilitation group (actual intensity 0 mA). Participants in this study will undergo a surgical procedure to implant the VNS system and will subsequently recieve a 6 weeks in-clinic therapy, followed by an additional 6 weeks home exercise. During the final 6 weeks, participants will either recieve in-clinic therapy or maintain their home exercise, depending on their assigned group.

Participants needed: 10
Trial details
Age: 22-79Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical UniversityUpdated: Mar 26, 2025
Eligibility criteria

Age ≥22 years and <80 years, all gender is acceptable. [+5]

History of ischemic stroke. [+12]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Effect of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Via the Outer Ear on Motor and Cognitive Deficits After Ischemic Stroke

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) works to treat motor and neurocognitive deficits after ischemic stroke when applied within 30 days after onset of stroke. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does tVNS improve motor deficits measured by the Fugl-Mayer assessment after ischemic stroke? * Does tVNS ameliorate stroke-related cognitive impairment? Researchers will compare tVNS to a placebo (sham stimulation, i.e. an electrode is fixed on the ear without applying electrical impulses ) to see if tVNS works to treat motor and cognitive deficits after stroke . Participants will: * Receive tVNS or sham stimulation for 30 minutes 5 days a week during 5 weeks after ischemic stroke * Receive smotor and cognitive training during the tVNS or sham stimulation * Will take part on a standardized stroke rehabilitation program during the 5 weeks in a rehabilitation clinic.

Participants needed: 144
Trial details
Age: 18+Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Rheinburg-KlinikUpdated: Feb 19, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Onset of stroke ≥15 days and ≤30 days after randomization [+7]

Age < 18 years [+16]

Status: Recruiting

Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Postoperative Sleep Disorders in Elderly Patients.

Postoperative sleep disorder is one of the common complications after general anesthesia. Compared to patients of various ages, elderly patients have a much higher incidence of postoperative sleep disturbance. Postoperative sleep disorders can have many adverse effects, including cognitive impairment, altered pain perception, and emotional disorders, which are not conducive to the long-term prognosis of elderly patients. Enhancing postoperative sleep quality in older patients has become a significant public health concern in the current day due to its direct relationship to both maximizing surgical outcomes and enhancing physical health. This study intends to conduct a prospective, randomized controlled, triple-blind clinical trial on use of transauricular vagal nerve stimulation to improve sleep disorders in elderly patients after general anesthesia surgery, aiming to investigate the efficacy of transauricular vagal nerve stimulation in postoperative sleep disorders in elderly patients.

Participants needed: 164
Trial details
Age: 65+Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Beijing Tiantan HospitalUpdated: Jan 27, 2025Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Patients undergoing non-craniocerebral surgery under elective general anesthesia [+3]

Patients who are expected to retain tracheal intubation after surgery [+4]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Efficacy of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Tailor-Made Notched Music Therapy Versus Tailor-made Notched Music Training for Chronic Subjective Tinnitus

This clinical study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical study. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat sen University was the central unit, and Nanjing First Hospital, Sun Yat Sen people's Hospital, Guanfzhou Panyu central Hospital and Zhuhai integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine hospital were the cooperative units. In this study, 388 patients with chronic subjective tinnitus were recruited. In view of chronic subjective tinnitus, a common ear disease, the study gave the patients three months of treatment with transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation paired with tailor-made notched music therapy or tailor-made notched music training alone. By comparing the changes of subjective scale scores related to tinnitus before and after treatment in patients receiving two different therapies, such as THI, VAS, BAI, BDI, PSQI, to evaluate the efficacy of the two therapies, so as to judge whether transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation paired with tailor-made notched music therapy is better than tailor-made notched music training alone. In addition, the study will continue to follow up the patients after the treatment for one year to observe the difference in the long-term sustained efficacy of the two therapies. This clinical study will also evaluate the two therapies from the perspective of compliance and safety, and explore the factors that affect the efficacy of the two therapies.

Participants needed: 388
Trial details
Age: 18-60Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen UniversityUpdated: Nov 27, 2023
Eligibility criteria

Patients with tinnitus as the main complaint: the patients subjectively feel the... [+4]

Patients with conductive deafness, history of middle ear surgery, pulsatile tinn... [+1]

Status: Not yet recruiting

Safety and Efficacy Study of Implantable Neuromodulation for Poststroke Hemiplegia

Background: Hemiplegia is a common complication after a stroke. Studies have shown that traditional medical and rehabilitation treatments are not good for improving patients' motor function, deep brain stimulation (DBS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can improve the motor function of patients, but there is no comparative study between them. Objectives: This study compares the efficacy and safety of DBS and VNS in the recovery of motor function in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, determining the best treatment for patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, and providing high-level clinical evidence for patients and clinicians to choose from. Methods/Design: This is a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-controlled pilot study. A total of 98 patients with post-stroke hemiplegia are assigned to receive DBS or VNS. After 3 and 6 months of follow-up, all the devices are turned off. After a 2-week washout, the control group is turned on, but the stimulation group is given sham stimulation. After 9 and 12 months of follow-up, all the devices are turned on. Then, at postoperative 15 and 18 months, postoperative neuroimaging and various post-stroke motor-related scores were performed for data collection and analysis. Discussion: We propose a study design and rationale to compare the efficacy and safety of DBS and VNS in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia to provide evidence and reference for implantable neuromodulation in the treatment of post-stroke dysfunction, and to compare the therapeutic effects of DBS and VNS to provide evidence for patient and clinical diagnosis and treatment choices. Study limitations are related to the small sample size and short study period.

Participants needed: 98
Trial details
Age: 18-80Biological sex: AllType: InterventionalSponsor: Chinese PLA General HospitalUpdated: Nov 8, 2023Locations: 1
Eligibility criteria

Meet WHO or international diagnostic criteria for stroke disease; [+9]

Glasgow Coma Scale (GSC) score below 15, Minimum Mental State Examination (MMSE)... [+13]