Ear device could boost language after stroke – small trial underway

NCT ID NCT06403475

Recruiting now Symptom relief Sponsor: Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This pilot study tests whether a non-invasive device that stimulates the vagus nerve through the ear can help people with chronic aphasia (trouble finding words) after a stroke. Thirty-six participants will use the device at home while doing computer-based speech therapy for six weeks. The main goal is to see if the approach is safe, tolerable, and feasible, with a secondary look at whether it improves word-finding.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) device
What this could lead to: If this works, it could point toward a new, home-based way to improve language recovery in people with long-term aphasia after stroke.
What could go wrong: This is a very early, small pilot study with only 36 participants. It is designed mainly to test safety and feasibility, not effectiveness. There are no published studies on tVNS for aphasia yet, so results are uncertain.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

aphasia stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

APHASIA CHRONIC STROKE

Contacts and locations

Locations

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
RECRUITING

Sheffield, S10 2JF, United Kingdom

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