Electrical Vestibular Nerve Stimulation (VeNS) As a Treatment for Depression

Effectiveness of Electrical Vestibular Nerve Stimulation in the Management of Depression

Trial title: Effectiveness of Electrical Vestibular Nerve Stimulation in the Management of Depression

The aim of this study: To better evaluate the efficacy of non-invasive electrical vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS) as a method of treating Depression, as compared to a sham control.

Allocation: Randomized to either active device or control device usage.

Endpoint classification: Efficacy Study Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment in 1:1 active to control allocation

Sample size: The aim is to recruit a total of up to 60 participants. The study will last 12 weeks in total for each subject.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Modius Mood Active Device; Device: Sham Device

Detailed Description

This double blind randomized controlled trial will enroll up to 60 subjects and will be conducted at the NRI Institute of Medical Sciences. The study will be randomized for a 8-week period with a 1:1 active to sham device allocation. Each participant will complete 5 stimulation sessions per week under the supervision of a researcher at the Department of Physiology. Each session will be 30 minutes on the day of usage. The scheduled study events are to be undertaken at the following timepoints:

• Baseline: Study Visit 1 (0-week timepoint for enrolment)
• Study Visit 2 (2-week timepoint)
• Study Visit 3 (4-week timepoint)
• Study Visit 4 (6-week timepoint)
• End of Study: Study Visit 5 (8-week timepoint)
• Post-intervention follow-up at 4 weeks (12-week timepoint)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 62
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• India
  • Andhra Pradesh
    • Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, 531163
      • NRI Institute of Medical Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed Informed Consent
• Male or female, age ≥ 18 years and ≤ 80 years at the time of signing informed consent
• PHQ-9 score of >/=10 at screening
• On anti-depressant medication to treat depression (participant must only be on one Selective Serotonin or Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI/SNRI) for at least 1 year prior to baseline visit, and no longer than 5 years
• Stable dose of anti-depressant (SSRI/SNRI) medication to treat depression, 3 months prior to baseline appointment
• Stable medication regime for at least 4 weeks prior to the baseline visit
• Can speak / read Hindi / English
• Ability and willingness to complete all study visits and procedures; in particular an agreement to engage with trying to use the device per the study protocol
• Ability and willingness to adhere to 30 minutes usage of the device at 5 days per week for the duration of the trial at clinic
• Agree not to undergo any extreme lifestyle changes during the duration of the study that could impact sleep e.g. dietary or exercise changes

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score of <10 at screening
• Risk of persistent self-harm or suicide
• Diagnosis or history of bipolar disorder
• History of a current psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or other non-mood disorder psychosis
• Diagnosis of substance use disorder or dependence
• Use of recreational drugs (e.g nalgesics, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens). Subject can enrol after a washout period of 30 days
• History of diagnosed cognitive impairment / disorder such as delirium or dementia
• Previous diagnosis of a chronic viral infection, for example hepatitis or HIV.
• History of stroke or head injury requiring intensive care or neurosurgery
• Presence of permanently implanted battery-powered medical device or stimulator (e.g., pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, deep brain stimulator, vagal nerve stimulator, etc.)
• History of epilepsy
• History of severe tinnitus or vertigo
• History of skin breakdown, eczema or other dermatological condition (e.g. psoriasis) affecting the skin behind the ears.
• History or presence of malignancy within the last year (except basal and squamous cell skin cancer and in-situ carcinomas)
• History of vestibular dysfunction or another inner ear disease
• Regular use (more than twice a month) of antihistamine medication within the last 6 months
• A diagnosis of myelofibrosis or myelodysplastic syndrome
• Diagnosis of active migraines
• Previous use of Modius device or any VeNS device
• Participation in other clinical trials sponsored by Neurovalens
• Any other medical condition, or medication use, that in the opinion of the PI is likely to make the subject refractory to VeNS.
• Failure to use device daily during trial participation (no more than 14 consecutive days usage drop without reasonable explanation)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active VeNS; The active device utilizes a technology termed vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS). The device will be placed on the head in a manner analogous to headphones and will deliver a small electrical current to the skin behind the ears, over the mastoid processes. Participants will be advised to use the device at home for 30 minutes per day.	Device: Modius Mood Active Device; Battery powered non-invasive neurostimulation device
Placebo Comparator: Sham VeNS; The sham device looks identical to the active device and interacts with the app in a similar manner to the active device. It will apply some stimulation to a user for a limited period of time (30 seconds), before tapering down to zero over a further 20 seconds, thus creating the impression of an active device. The device will be placed on the head in a manner analogous to headphones with hydrogel electrodes placed over the mastoid processes. Participants will be advised to use the device at home for 30 minutes per day.	Device: Sham Device; Placebo comparator sham device (no active stimulation)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To evaluate the ability of the Modius Mood device, relative to the sham control group, in reducing the severity of depression at 8 weeks	Change in the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) score from baseline to 8 weeks between the active and control group.	8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To evaluate the ability of the Modius Mood device, relative to the sham control group, in reducing the severity of depression at 2, 4 and 6 weeks	Change in the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) score at additional timepoints (2, 4, and 6 weeks) between the active and control group.	8 weeks
To evaluate the impact of the Modius Mood device, relative to the control group, on anxiety at 4 weeks and 8 weeks	Change in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) score from baseline to 4 weeks and 8 weeks between the active and control group.	8 weeks
To evaluate the impact of the Modius Mood device, relative to the control group, on insomnia at 4 weeks and 8 weeks	Change in the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score from baseline to 4 weeks and 8 weeks between the active and control group.	8 weeks
To evaluate the effect of the Modius Mood, relative to control group, on quality of life at 4 weeks and 8 weeks	Change in the Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L) score from baseline to 4 weeks and 8 weeks between the active and control group	8 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To evaluate the safety of the Modius Mood device, relative to control group, in terms of the occurrence of adverse events for the duration of the study	An evaluation of the safety of the Modius Mood device will be quantified by the occurrence in adverse events between the active and control group during the study period	8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Neurovalens Ltd.
• Collaborators: NRI Institute of Medical Sciences
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sai Sailesh Kumar Goothy, NRI Institute of Medical Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 3, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 5, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 5, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 18, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 18, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 25, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 18, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Mood Disorders; Depression; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: MMS001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No