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Ear stimulation may quiet pain — scientists scan the brain to find out how

NCT ID NCT07719868

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a mild electrical pulse to a nerve in the ear can reduce pain caused by a capsaicin cream (the stuff that makes chili peppers hot). Researchers will also use brain scans and magnetic pulses to watch how the brain's pain circuits change during stimulation. The goal is to understand the brain mechanisms behind this potential drug-free pain relief.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) delivered via a device to the ear
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a drug-free, non-invasive way to manage pain by understanding how the brain responds to nerve stimulation.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study in healthy volunteers using lab-induced pain, not real chronic pain. The results may not apply to patients or lead to a treatment.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jul 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: \- 1. Adults aged 18 to 65 years. 2. Physically and mentally healthy individuals with no history of chronic pain (confirmed via clinical interviews and the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview). 3\. Right-handed. Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. Presence of metallic implants (e.g., cardiac pacemakers) or other conditions precluding vagus nerve stimulation. 2\. Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders or presence of suicidal ideation. 3. History of epilepsy. 4. History of drug or substance abuse/dependence. 5. Known allergy to capsaicin or its vehicle solutions. 6. Inability to understand or respond to study-related questions.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia pain agnosia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Analgesia Capsaicin-induced pain Electroencephalography Neuromodulation Pain management Transcranial magnetic stimulation repetitive Vagus nerve stimulation

How to take part

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  1. The official record

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