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Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Patients in Comatose State

17 de julio de 2026 actualizado por: Sima Mofakham

Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS) for Disorders of Consciousness After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Efficacy Study

Some patients with severe traumatic brain injury cannot respond at the bedside, yet about 1 in 4 may be aware but unable to show it - a hidden state called cognitive motor dissociation. This study tests a gentle, non-invasive treatment delivered through clips on the left ear that stimulates two nerves at once: the vagus nerve at the inner ear (taVNS) and the trigeminal nerve at the outer ear (taTNS). Each nerve has separately been shown to help people with disorders of consciousness recover, but they have not been combined before. All enrolled patients receive the stimulation for one hour a day, with continuous heart and oxygen monitoring and a pain-protection check used to keep the dose safe. The study measures recovery two ways: the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), scored by clinicians, and SeeMe, an automated camera system that detects tiny command-driven movements the eye cannot see.

Descripción general del estudio

Estado

Reclutamiento

Condiciones

Intervención / Tratamiento

Descripción detallada

This prospective, single-center, open-label, single-arm pilot study enrolls a subcohort of comatose TBI patients from the parent SeeMe study (NCT07560631) whose legally authorized representative consents to a stimulation addendum. Dual-site transcutaneous auricular nerve stimulation is delivered to the left ear: the vagal site (cymba conchae) targets the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, and the trigeminal site (outer ear) targets the auriculotemporal branch - each with distinct, optimized parameters. Mechanistically, vagal afferents project to the nucleus tractus solitarius and the ascending reticular activating system to promote arousal, while trigeminal afferents project via the spinal trigeminal nucleus to thalamus and cortex to enhance thalamocortical connectivity; the dual-site paradigm aims to drive the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop from two convergent directions. Baseline assessment captures CRS-R, GCS, vital signs, NCS-R, heart-rate variability, and EEG. Daily one-hour sessions include pre/post vitals, NCS-R-guided titration, continuous telemetry, ear-site inspection, and daily CRS-R. In parallel, the SeeMe computer-vision platform quantifies stimulus-evoked facial and hand movements. The course runs 7 consecutive days, extendable to 28 days. Findings will inform a future sham-controlled randomized trial and closed-loop integration with SeeMe.

Tipo de estudio

Intervencionista

Inscripción (Estimado)

10

Fase

  • No aplica

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

Ubicaciones de estudio

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

  • Adulto
  • Adulto Mayor

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

No

Descripción

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Coma, vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS), or minimally conscious state (MCS) as determined by baseline CRS-R
  • Acute traumatic brain injury with documented intracranial pathology on neuroimaging
  • Admission to the Neurology or Neurosurgical ICU
  • Legally authorized representative (LAR) available and willing to consent, including the Stimulation Addendum Consent Form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Implanted cardiac pacemaker, vagus nerve stimulator, or other active implanted device
  • Known cardiac arrhythmia (e.g., 2nd-/3rd-degree AV block, atrial fibrillation with uncontrolled rate)
  • Active seizures not controlled by current antiepileptic regimen
  • Skin breakdown, infection, or anatomical abnormality of the left ear precluding electrode placement
  • Pregnancy
  • Hemodynamic instability requiring vasopressor escalation at the time of enrollment

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

  • Propósito principal: Tratamiento
  • Asignación: N / A
  • Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación de un solo grupo
  • Enmascaramiento: Ninguno (etiqueta abierta)

Armas e Intervenciones

Grupo de participantes/brazo
Intervención / Tratamiento
Experimental: Dual-site auricular stimulation (taVNS + taTNS)
Experimental: Dual-site auricular stimulation (taVNS + taTNS). All enrolled participants receive active vagal and trigeminal auricular stimulation.
DEVICE: Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS). Delivered via ear-clip electrodes on the LEFT ear using the Sparrow Ascent / Sparrow Link tAN System (Spark Biomedical; FDA-cleared K230796), operated as an NSR investigational device. Vagal site (inner ear / cymba conchae): 15 Hz, 250 µs pulse width, 3 mA fixed, duty cycle 5 min on / 10 s off. Trigeminal site (outer ear): 100 Hz, 250 µs pulse width, 3 mA fixed, duty cycle 5 min on / 10 s off. Session: 1 hour/day. Course: 7 consecutive days, extendable to 28 days. Intensity titrated with the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised (NCS-R): step down 0.5 mA if NCS-R > 4/9, SpO2 ≤ 95%, or HR rises ≥ 20 bpm; continuous cardiac/hemodynamic monitoring with prespecified stopping rules.

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Change in Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) Total Score
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Change in level of consciousness will be assessed using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score. The outcome will be reported as the within-participant change in total score from baseline to the end of treatment, as scored by a trained assessor. Scores range from 0 to 23, with higher scores indicating better neurobehavioral function and greater recovery of consciousness.
Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Change in SeeMe-Detected Stimulus-Evoked Voluntary Motor Responses
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Change in command-evoked voluntary motor responses will be assessed using the SeeMe automated camera-based detection system. The outcome will be reported as the within-participant change in the percentage of command trials with SeeMe-positive responses from baseline to the end of treatment. Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating more frequent command-evoked voluntary motor responses. A SeeMe-positive response is defined as a Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic greater than 0.1 and pixel displacement greater than 400, detected reliably in at least 3 of 10 command trials. SeeMe scoring will be automated and performed blinded to stimulation timing.
Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Number of Participants With Device- or Stimulation-Related Adverse Events
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Adverse events attributed to auricular stimulation will be recorded and graded using CTCAE v5.0, including ear-site skin reactions, bradycardia or other arrhythmia, oxygen desaturation, and hemodynamic instability. Events requiring NCS-R-guided dose reduction or meeting prespecified stopping criteria will be reported.
Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Patrocinador

Colaboradores

Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Actual)

26 de junio de 2026

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

1 de diciembre de 2029

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

1 de diciembre de 2029

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

26 de junio de 2026

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

17 de julio de 2026

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

22 de julio de 2026

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

22 de julio de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

17 de julio de 2026

Última verificación

1 de junio de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Otros números de identificación del estudio

  • IRB2019-00199 MOD061
  • R61MH138612 (Subvención/contrato del NIH de EE. UU.)

Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)

¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?

SÍ

Descripción del plan IPD

De-identified individual participant data underlying published results will be shared, including CRS-R scores, SeeMe-derived movement metrics, stimulation parameters, and safety data. Data will be available following publication of the primary results. Requests will be reviewed by the study team and require a data use agreement and confirmation of appropriate IRB or ethics approval. Raw facial video will not be shared due to the inherent re-identifiability of facial imagery; derived quantitative movement features will be shared instead.

Marco de tiempo para compartir IPD

Beginning 12 months after publication of the primary results and ending 5 years following publication.

Criterios de acceso compartido de IPD

Access will be granted to qualified investigators whose proposed use has been approved by the study team. Requestors must submit a methodologically sound research proposal and a signed data use agreement, and must provide documentation of IRB or equivalent ethics approval for the proposed analysis. Approved requestors will receive de-identified individual participant data, including CRS-R scores, SeeMe-derived quantitative movement metrics, stimulation parameters, and safety data, together with the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and blank informed consent form. Raw facial video will not be released due to the inherent re-identifiability of facial imagery. Requests should be directed to the principal investigator at sima.mofakham@stonybrookmedicine.edu.

Tipo de información de apoyo para compartir IPD

  • PROTOCOLO DE ESTUDIO
  • SAVIA
  • CÓDIGO_ANALÍTICO

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

Sí

producto fabricado y exportado desde los EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .