Mindfulness and nerve stimulation tested for kidney disease

NCT ID NCT04099992

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether mindfulness meditation and a mild nerve stimulation device can improve nerve function and blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease. About 150 participants with moderate kidney disease will take part. The goal is to see if these approaches can help calm overactive nerves that often worsen kidney health.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to manage nerve and blood pressure problems in chronic kidney disease.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with 150 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The interventions are behavioral and may not produce strong or lasting effects.

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 150 people

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

Started

Sep 2019

Expected to finish

Sep 2026

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

40 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: * stages III and IV CKD as defined by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine equation * stable renal function (no greater than a decline of eGFR of 1 cc/min/1.73 m2 per month over the prior 3 months) Exclusion Criteria: * severe CKD (eGFR\<15 cc/min) * diabetic neuropathy * autonomic dysfunction * any serious disease that might influence survival * anemia with hemoglobin \<10 g/dL * treatment with central α-agonists or monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors * myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident within the past 6 months * uncontrolled hypertension (BP≥170/100 mm Hg) * low BP (BP\<100/50 mm Hg) * bradycardia (HR\<55 beats/min) * ongoing drug or alcohol abuse (defined as \>2 drinks/day in men, and \>1 drink/day in women) * surgery within the past 3 months * adjustment of antihypertensive medications within the past month * pregnancy or plans to become pregnant * psychosis * suicidal ideation * implanted electronic or metallic device such as a pacemaker * implanted hearing aid, bone plate, carotid stent, bone screw at or near the neck * carotid atherosclerosis * concurrent use of another stimulating device such as a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

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

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Atlanta VA Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

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