Healthy volunteers needed to map the Body's 'Autopilot' system
NCT ID NCT04100486
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aims to better understand the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls things like heart rate and breathing without us thinking about it. Researchers will use simple, noninvasive tests (like cold water and deep breathing) to measure how the ANS responds in 48 healthy adults aged 18-60. They will also test if a gentle nerve stimulation device can change these responses. The goal is to create a way to detect early signs of ANS problems in the future.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2019
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
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.
Who is studied
The study will only enroll healthy able-bodied individuals. To be eligible to participate in this study, individuals must be between the ages of 18 and 60 years (to avoid changes in ANS with age), proficient in English, BMI less than 30 based on height and weight, and able and willing to provide informed consent and comply with the requirement of the study protocol.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Individuals between 18-60 years of age (to avoid changes in ANS with age) * Individuals that are considered English Proficient due to the study requirements to follow verbal commands * Able-bodied persons with no known health conditions * BMI \< 30.0, based on height and weight (to limit known effects of high BMI on ANS activity \[Costa et al., 2019\]) * Able and willing to give written informed consent and comply with the requirements of the study protocol Exclusion Criteria: * History of any of the following: cardiac arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, autoimmune disease, chronic inflammatory disease, anemia, malignancy, depression, neurologic disease, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, dementia, psychiatric illness including active psychosis, or any other chronic medical condition * Evidence of active infection * Family history of inflammatory disease * Treatment with an anti-cholinergic medication, including over-the-counter medications for allergy and sleep-aid within the past 1 week, including all drugs with Amitriptyline, Atropine, Benztropine, Chlorpheniramine, Chlorpromazine, Clomipramine, Clozapine, Cyclobenzaprine, Cyproheptadine, Desipramine, Dexchlorpheniramine, Dicyclomine, Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), Doxepin, Fesoterodine, Hydroxyzine, Hyoscyamine, Imipramine, Meclizine, Nortriptyline, Olanzapine, Orphenadrine, Oxybutynin, Paroxetine, Perphenazine, Prochlorperazine, Promethazine, Protriptyline, Pseudoephedrine, Scopolamine, Thioridazine, Tolterodine, Trifluoperazine, and Trimipramine * Implantable electronic devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, hearing aids, cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, or vagus nerve stimulators * Current tobacco or nicotine use (to limit any potentially confounding effects of exposure to nicotine), which includes any use within the past 1 week * Chronic inflammatory disorders * Pre-existing neurological disease, which indicates any significant neurological condition, including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, or stroke * Pregnancy or lactation (determined by self-report), as early pregnancy may potentially impact ANS measurements * Active ear infection (otitis media or externa) or any other afflictions of the ear * Any condition that, in the investigator's opinion, would jeopardize the participant's safety following exposure to a study intervention * Inability to comply with study procedures and methods * Prisoners
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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
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research
Manhasset, New York, 11030, United States
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