Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Treatment for Rosacea

May 20, 2026 updated by: John Barbieri, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Treatment for Rosacea: A Pilot Trial

A single arm, pilot study among individuals with rosacea and at least moderate flushing or rednesss will be enrolled in a 4-week trial of taVNS. The particicpants will be followed for an additional 4-weeks following the intervention period to evaluate the durability of the results

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
10

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02461

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years of age and older
  • Dermatologist confirmed diagnosis of rosacea
  • Clinician's Erythema Assessment of at least 3 (moderate to severe disease)
  • Willingness to adhere to current rosacea regimen without additions or laser treatments (e.g. PDL) during the study period.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Changes to rosacea regimen (prescription topical or oral medications) within 4 weeks of randomization.
  • Facial hair, tattoos, or other characteristics that would interfere with erythema assessments
  • History of symptomatic cardiac arrythmias (e.g. heart block, sick sinus syndrome, bradyarrhythmia)
  • Presence of a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, or neurostimulator
  • Seizure disorder or epilepsy
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia within the past year
  • Severe coronary disease or recent myocardial infarction within the past 5 years
  • Severe autonomic dysfunction (e.g., frequent syncope, hospitalization)
  • History of recurrent syncope or unexplained fainting
  • Use of brimonidine or oxymetazoline within the past 4 weeks
  • Use of beta-blockers, anticholinergics, or vagal-modulating drugs within the past 4 weeks
  • Severe phymatous rosacea
  • Ear deformity, piercings, or other condition that prevents the use of the taVNS device
  • Known hypersensitivity to electrode materials
  • Patients who are pregnant.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Rosacea
Device: Transaricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS)
This project consists of a 4-week trial of transaricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for rosacea. Participation is expected to last for a total duration of 8 weeks (4 week active intervention period)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline to week 4 of Clinician's Erythema Assessment (CEA)
Time Frame: Week 4
The CEA is a static 5-point grading scale of facial erythema severity. The scale is 0 to 4. A positive result, means that the erythema, redness was reduced. A negative result indicates that the erythema increased.
Week 4
Change from baseline to week 4 in the Dermatology Quality Life Index (DLQI)
Time Frame: Week 4
The DLQI is a dermatology-specific quality of life instrument to measure the impact of skin disease on different aspects of health-related quality of life. The questionnaire contains 10 questions, each scored on a 4-point Likert scale. The DLQI is calculated by adding the score of each question, resulting in a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 0. The higher the score, the more quality of life is impaired. A score higher than 10 indicates that the patient's life is being severely affected by their skin disease.
Week 4

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in the Dermatology Quality Life Index (DLQI) from baseline to week 4 & 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The DLQI is a dermatology-specific quality of life instrument to measure the impact of skin disease on different aspects of health-related quality of life. The questionnaire contains 10 questions, each scored on a 4-point Likert scale. The DLQI is calculated by adding the score of each question, resulting in a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 0. The higher the score, the more quality of life is impaired. A score higher than 10 indicates that the patient's life is being severely affected by their skin disease.
Week 4, Week 8
Change from week 4 to week 8 in Global Flushing Severity Score (GFSS) from baseline to week 4 & 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The GFSS is a 0-10 numeric rating scale assessing facial flushing symptoms including redness, warmth, tingling, or itching over the past 24 hours, with scores ranging from: 0 (did not have), 1-3 (mild), 4-6 (moderate), 7-9 (severe), 10 (extreme).
Week 4, Week 8
Change from in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale from baseline to week 4 & 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The PHQ-9 is a widely used tool for assessing depression severity, with scores ranging from 0 to 27 based on the frequency of symptoms over the past two weeks
Week 4, Week 8
Change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale from baseline to week 4 & 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The GAD-7 evaluates anxiety severity with scores ranging from 0 to 21, using a similar structure to the PHQ-9. Scores are categorized as minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), and severe (15-21).
Week 4, Week 8
Change of Clinician's Erythema Assessment (CEA) scale from baseline to week 4 & 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The CEA is a static 5-point grading scale of facial erythema severity. The scale is 0 to 4. A positive result, means that the erythema, redness, was reduced. A negative result indicates that the erythema increased.
Week 4, Week 8
DermSat-7 score at week 4 & week 8
Time Frame: Week 4, Week 8
The DermSat7 is a 7-item, self-administered questionnaire designed to assess patient satisfaction with dermatologic treatments. It covers three domains - effectiveness (3 items), convenience (3 items), and overall satisfaction (1 item) - with responses on a 5-point (or 5-point) satisfaction scale, then transformed into a 0-100 scale so that higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.
Week 4, Week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 28, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 20, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2026P000835

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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