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Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Patients in Comatose State

17 juli 2026 uppdaterad av: 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.

Studieöversikt

Status

Rekrytering

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Detaljerad beskrivning

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.

Studietyp

Interventionell

Inskrivning (Beräknad)

10

Fas

  • Inte tillämpbar

Kontakter och platser

Det här avsnittet innehåller kontaktuppgifter för dem som genomför studien och information om var denna studie genomförs.

Studiekontakt

Studieorter

Deltagandekriterier

Forskare letar efter personer som passar en viss beskrivning, så kallade behörighetskriterier. Några exempel på dessa kriterier är en persons allmänna hälsotillstånd eller tidigare behandlingar.

Urvalskriterier

Åldrar som är berättigade till studier

  • Vuxen
  • Äldre vuxen

Tar emot friska volontärer

Nej

Beskrivning

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

Studieplan

Det här avsnittet ger detaljer om studieplanen, inklusive hur studien är utformad och vad studien mäter.

Hur är studien utformad?

Designdetaljer

  • Primärt syfte: Behandling
  • Tilldelning: N/A
  • Interventionsmodell: Enskild gruppuppgift
  • Maskning: Ingen (Open Label)

Vapen och interventioner

Deltagargrupp / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Experimentell: Dual-site auricular stimulation (taVNS + taTNS)
Experimental: Dual-site auricular stimulation (taVNS + taTNS). All enrolled participants receive active vagal and trigeminal auricular stimulation.
Enhet: Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS)
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.

Vad mäter studien?

Primära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Change in Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) Total Score
Tidsram: 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
Tidsram: 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

Sekundära resultatmått

Resultatmått
Åtgärdsbeskrivning
Tidsram
Number of Participants With Device- or Stimulation-Related Adverse Events
Tidsram: 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

Samarbetspartners och utredare

Det är här du hittar personer och organisationer som är involverade i denna studie.

Sponsor

Sima Mofakham

Samarbetspartners

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Studieavstämningsdatum

Dessa datum spårar framstegen för inlämningar av studieposter och sammanfattande resultat till ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter och rapporterade resultat granskas av National Library of Medicine (NLM) för att säkerställa att de uppfyller specifika kvalitetskontrollstandarder innan de publiceras på den offentliga webbplatsen.

Studera stora datum

Studiestart (Faktisk)

26 juni 2026

Primärt slutförande (Beräknad)

1 december 2029

Avslutad studie (Beräknad)

1 december 2029

Studieregistreringsdatum

Först inskickad

26 juni 2026

Först inskickad som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

17 juli 2026

Första postat (Faktisk)

22 juli 2026

Uppdateringar av studier

Senaste uppdatering publicerad (Faktisk)

22 juli 2026

Senaste inskickade uppdateringen som uppfyllde QC-kriterierna

17 juli 2026

Senast verifierad

1 juni 2026

Mer information

Termer relaterade till denna studie

Nyckelord

Ytterligare relevanta MeSH-villkor

Andra studie-ID-nummer

  • IRB2019-00199 MOD061
  • R61MH138612 (U.S.S. NIH-anslag/kontrakt)

Plan för individuella deltagardata (IPD)

Planerar du att dela individuella deltagardata (IPD)?

JA

IPD-planbeskrivning

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.

Tidsram för IPD-delning

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

Kriterier för IPD Sharing Access

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.

IPD-delning som stöder informationstyp

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAV
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Läkemedels- och apparatinformation, studiedokument

Studerar en amerikansk FDA-reglerad läkemedelsprodukt

Nej

Studerar en amerikansk FDA-reglerad produktprodukt

Ja

produkt tillverkad i och exporterad från U.S.A.

Nej

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