Nerve zaps and custom music: a new attack on relentless ear ringing
NCT ID NCT07794462
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether a gentle electrical pulse to the ear, called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, combined with music tailored to each person's tinnitus, can ease the constant ringing or buzzing of chronic subjective tinnitus. Researchers will compare this combo against the same music therapy with a sham (inactive) stimulation in 444 adults aged 18 to 70. Participants receive the treatment for 3 months, and the main question is whether more people in the active group show a meaningful drop in tinnitus-related distress.
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) combined with Tailor-Made Notched Music Therapy (TMNMT)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-invasive, drug-free way to reduce the daily burden of chronic tinnitus, potentially improving quality of life for millions.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early and uses a sham comparison, so the added benefit of nerve stimulation over music therapy alone may turn out to be small or absent. Some people may find the ear stimulation uncomfortable.
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
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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
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About 444 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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. Patients with tinnitus as the primary chief complaint and the reason for seeking medical consultation. 2. Patients with chronic subjective tinnitus duration of 6 months or longer. 3. Age between 18 and 70 years. 4. Tinnitus frequency within the range of 125-8000 Hz. 5. Hearing threshold ≤ 70 dB HL. 6. Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score ≥ 38. Exclusion Criteria 1. Patients with conductive hearing loss, history of middle ear surgery, pulsatile tinnitus due to vascular malformations, or Meniere's disease-related tinnitus. 2. History of head trauma, central nervous system disorders, or substance abuse/dependence. Patients with severe primary psychiatric disorders or acute episodes of severe psychological disturbances requiring priority specialist intervention. Patients with severe anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory \[BAI\] score ≥26), severe depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory \[BDI\] score ≥29), or suicidal ideation identified during clinical interview will be excluded. 3. Patients unwilling or unable to comply with study protocol requirements. 4. Patients with peripheral auditory pathway or central space-occupying lesions identified by imaging, such as acoustic neuroma, middle ear cholesteatoma, or meningioma.
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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.
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The places running it
6 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University
Shanghai, China
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Huizhou First People's Hospital
Huizhou, Guangdong, China
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Jieyang People's Hospital
Jieyang, Guangdong, China
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Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510120, China
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Zhongshan City People's Hospital
Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
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Zhuhai Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital
Zhuhai, Guangdong, 519000, China
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