Effects of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Pain and Brain Activity in Healthy Adults
14. září 2026 aktualizováno: David A. Purger
The Effects of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Acute Pain Perception and Brain Activity in Healthy Adults
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether stimulating a nerve in the neck changes how much pain people feel. It also looks at whether this stimulation changes brain activity. The study is being done in healthy adults ages 18 to 70.
The nerve being studied is called the vagus nerve. It runs through the neck and connects to parts of the brain that handle pain. In this study, the nerve is stimulated from outside the body using a small device placed on the skin. There is no surgery, and nothing is implanted.
The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Does stimulating the vagus nerve lower the pain people feel during a cold water test? (2) Does stimulating the vagus nerve change the electrical activity in the brain?
Researchers will compare pain ratings and brain activity under three conditions in the same person: no stimulation, real stimulation over the vagus nerve, and sham stimulation placed nearby on the neck. Sham stimulation feels similar but is not aimed at the nerve.
Participants will: (1) Come to one visit that lasts about 90 minutes, with no follow-up visits, (2) Wear a cap that records the brain's natural electrical signals for the whole visit, (3) Place both hands in cold water, about 39 degrees Fahrenheit, up to three times for up to 2 minutes each time, (4) Rate their pain after each cold water test, (5) Wear a stimulation device on the neck during two of the three cold water tests, (6) Not be told which of those two is the real stimulation until the visit is over.
Přehled studie
Postavení
Zatím nenabíráme
Typ studie
Intervenční
Zápis (Odhadovaný)
20
Fáze
- Nelze použít
Kontakty a umístění
Tato část poskytuje kontaktní údaje pro ty, kteří studii provádějí, a informace o tom, kde se tato studie provádí.
Studijní kontakt
- Jméno: Caliel Hines
- Telefonní číslo: 317-963-7010
- E-mail: calhines@iu.edu
Studijní záloha kontaktů
- Jméno: Marissa Lowe
- E-mail: lowemj@iu.edu
Studijní místa
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Indiana
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Indianapolis, Indiana, Spojené státy, 46202
- IU Health Neuroscience Center
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Kontakt:
- Department of Neurological Surgery
- Telefonní číslo: 317-963-1300
- E-mail: dpurger@iu.edu
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Kritéria účasti
Výzkumníci hledají lidi, kteří odpovídají určitému popisu, kterému se říká kritéria způsobilosti. Některé příklady těchto kritérií jsou celkový zdravotní stav osoby nebo předchozí léčba.
Kritéria způsobilosti
Věk způsobilý ke studiu
- Dospělý
- Starší dospělý
Přijímá zdravé dobrovolníky
Ano
Popis
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults aged 18 to 70 years
- Healthy, defined as having no history of chronic medical, neurological, or psychiatric conditions
- Not currently experiencing acute illness or chronic pain
- Not currently taking medications that influence the nervous system or pain sensitivity
- Willing and able to provide written informed consent in English
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of vagal or vasovagal symptoms
- Respiratory distress
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Sleep apnea
- Pregnancy
- Substance abuse
- Primary psychiatric disorder
- Prior vagus nerve stimulation or any implanted medical device
- Significant acute or chronic neurologic illness that, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, could compromise participant safety, limit the ability to complete the study, or compromise the objectives of the study
Studijní plán
Tato část poskytuje podrobnosti o studijním plánu, včetně toho, jak je studie navržena a co studie měří.
Jak je studie koncipována?
Detaily designu
- Primární účel: Základní věda
- Přidělení: Randomizované
- Intervenční model: Crossover Assignment
- Maskování: Singl
Zbraně a zásahy
Skupina účastníků / Arm |
Intervence / Léčba |
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Experimentální: Active Stimulation First, Then Sham
Participants complete a cold pressor test with no stimulation, then a second cold pressor test during active transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, then a third during sham stimulation.
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Stimulation applied over the cervical branch of the vagus nerve, anterior to the sternocleidomastoid along the carotid sheath.
Pulse width 200 microseconds, frequency 30 Hz, rectangular monophasic waveform, intensity titrated between 17.8 and 39.5 volts to a mild tingling sensation below the threshold of discomfort.
Stimulation is maintained for 20 minutes before the cold pressor test and continues throughout it.
Identical device, parameters, and duration as the active condition, differing only in placement.
The device is positioned slightly posterior on the neck, away from the cervical branch of the vagus nerve.
Immersion of both hands up to the wrist in water maintained at 4 degrees Celsius with ice for up to two minutes or as long as tolerated.
Performed three times per participant: once with no stimulation, once during active stimulation, and once during sham stimulation.
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Experimentální: Sham Stimulation First, Then Active
Participants complete a cold pressor test with no stimulation, then a second cold pressor test during sham stimulation, then a third during active transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation.
|
Stimulation applied over the cervical branch of the vagus nerve, anterior to the sternocleidomastoid along the carotid sheath.
Pulse width 200 microseconds, frequency 30 Hz, rectangular monophasic waveform, intensity titrated between 17.8 and 39.5 volts to a mild tingling sensation below the threshold of discomfort.
Stimulation is maintained for 20 minutes before the cold pressor test and continues throughout it.
Identical device, parameters, and duration as the active condition, differing only in placement.
The device is positioned slightly posterior on the neck, away from the cervical branch of the vagus nerve.
Immersion of both hands up to the wrist in water maintained at 4 degrees Celsius with ice for up to two minutes or as long as tolerated.
Performed three times per participant: once with no stimulation, once during active stimulation, and once during sham stimulation.
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Co je měření studie?
Primární výstupní opatření
Měření výsledku |
Popis opatření |
Časové okno |
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Pain intensity measured by the Numerical Pain Rating Scale
Časové okno: Immediately after each of the three cold pressor tests during a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Participant-reported pain intensity on an 11-point scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain imaginable.
Higher scores indicate greater pain.
Rated immediately after each cold pressor test.
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Immediately after each of the three cold pressor tests during a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Pain intensity measured by the Visual Analogue Scale
Časové okno: Immediately after each of the three cold pressor tests during a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Participant-reported pain intensity is marked on a 100 mm line anchored at 0 mm for no pain and 100 mm for the worst imaginable pain.
The distance in millimeters from the left anchor is recorded as the score.
Higher scores indicate greater pain.
Rated immediately after each cold pressor test.
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Immediately after each of the three cold pressor tests during a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Pain threshold during cold pressor test
Časové okno: During each of the three cold pressor tests within a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Time in seconds from hand immersion to the participant's first verbalized sensation of pain, recorded separately for each hand.
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During each of the three cold pressor tests within a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Sekundární výstupní opatření
Měření výsledku |
Popis opatření |
Časové okno |
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Change in EEG spectral power
Časové okno: Continuously throughout a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Change in spectral power within canonical frequency bands (delta 1 to 4 Hz, theta 4 to 8 Hz, alpha 8 to 12 Hz, beta 13 to 30 Hz, gamma above 30 Hz), measured by continuous 16-channel electroencephalography, compared across resting baseline, stimulation without noxious stimulus, and stimulation during cold pressor test.
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Continuously throughout a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Change in EEG functional connectivity
Časové okno: Continuously throughout a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Change in functional connectivity between brain regions, derived from continuous 16-channel electroencephalography.
Phase locking values are computed for each pair of EEG channels within canonical frequency bands, and connectivity metrics are derived from those values.
Coherence is assessed in the frequency domain.
Analyses are restricted to predefined, theory-driven regions and frequency bands.
Compared across resting baseline, stimulation without noxious stimulus, and stimulation during the cold pressor test.
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Continuously throughout a single visit, approximately 90 minutes.
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Spolupracovníci a vyšetřovatelé
Zde najdete lidi a organizace zapojené do této studie.
Sponzor
Spolupracovníci
Vyšetřovatelé
- Vrchní vyšetřovatel: David A Purger, MD, PhD, Indiana University
Termíny studijních záznamů
Tato data sledují průběh záznamů studie a předkládání souhrnných výsledků na ClinicalTrials.gov. Záznamy ze studií a hlášené výsledky jsou před zveřejněním na veřejné webové stránce přezkoumány Národní lékařskou knihovnou (NLM), aby se ujistily, že splňují specifické standardy kontroly kvality.
Hlavní termíny studia
Začátek studia (Odhadovaný)
1. září 2026
Primární dokončení (Odhadovaný)
1. ledna 2028
Dokončení studie (Odhadovaný)
1. ledna 2028
Termíny zápisu do studia
První předloženo
14. září 2026
První předloženo, které splnilo kritéria kontroly kvality
14. září 2026
První zveřejněno (Aktuální)
18. září 2026
Aktualizace studijních záznamů
Poslední zveřejněná aktualizace (Aktuální)
18. září 2026
Odeslaná poslední aktualizace, která splnila kritéria kontroly kvality
14. září 2026
Naposledy ověřeno
1. září 2026
Více informací
Termíny související s touto studií
Další relevantní podmínky MeSH
Další identifikační čísla studie
- 27960
- SNEU-IIR-TVNS-ADULTS (Jiný identifikátor: Indiana University IRB)
Plán pro data jednotlivých účastníků (IPD)
Plánujete sdílet data jednotlivých účastníků (IPD)?
NE
Popis plánu IPD
This is a small exploratory pilot study in healthy volunteers, designed to generate preliminary effect size estimates rather than definitive findings.
With a target enrollment of 20 participants at a single site, the dataset is small enough that a decision about sharing individual participant data has been deferred.
The current informed consent form does not specifically address sharing de-identified individual participant data with researchers outside the study team.
Any future data sharing would require review of participant consent and approval by the Indiana University Institutional Review Board.
The study team will revisit this decision before study completion.
Informace o lécích a zařízeních, studijní dokumenty
Studuje lékový produkt regulovaný americkým FDA
Ne
Studuje produkt zařízení regulovaný americkým úřadem FDA
Ano
produkt vyrobený a vyvážený z USA
Ne
Tyto informace byly beze změn načteny přímo z webu clinicaltrials.gov. Máte-li jakékoli požadavky na změnu, odstranění nebo aktualizaci podrobností studie, kontaktujte prosím register@clinicaltrials.gov. Jakmile bude změna implementována na clinicaltrials.gov, bude automaticky aktualizována i na našem webu .