Can zapping the ear calm HIV nerve pain?
NCT ID NCT07822932
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
Researchers at the University of Miami are testing a non-invasive ear stimulation treatment to understand nerve pain in older adults living with HIV. The study enrolls 70 people with HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy, a condition that causes tingling, numbness, or pain in the hands and feet. Participants receive 90-minute sessions of electrical stimulation on the ear's vagus nerve. The team measures changes in brain inhibition, heart rate variability, and pain symptoms to learn how the nervous system responds and how future treatments might be improved.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- non-invasive electrical stimulation of the ear's vagus nerve branch
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to ease nerve pain for people living with HIV.
- What could go wrong
- The study is small and early, so any benefits may not hold up in larger trials. Ear stimulation can cause mild discomfort, and the nerve pain may not improve.
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 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2028
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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50 years and older
- 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: * Established HIV infection * Glove/stocking dysesthesias lasting for ≥3 months * HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy (HIV-PN) related symptoms ≥4 (on a scale of 0-10) within the last week * Stable medical care (i.e., no changes in Antiretroviral Therapy or pain medication within 2 months of enrollment) * Able to read the consent form, demonstrate understanding of study procedures and requirements, and independently provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Unstable cardiac disease * Implanted electronic or magnetic devices (e.g., pacemaker, cochlear implants, medication pumps, and other implanted neurostimulation systems) * Head or neck cancer or metastases * Recent ear trauma or metal implants in the head * History of epilepsy, unprovoked seizure, stroke, brain tumor, significant traumatic brain injury, prior intracranial surgery, or other neurological condition associated with increased seizure risk * Active or uncontrolled comorbidities that independently cause neuropathy (e.g., recent chemotherapy, uncontrolled diabetes with documented neuropathic complications) * Clinical evidence of non-HIV neuropathy (e.g., neuropathic symptoms predating HIV diagnosis, uncontrolled diabetes) * Known allergy to tape/adhesive * Ferromagnetic or non-MRI-compatible metal in the head, neck, eye, or cranial region, including aneurysm clips, retained metal fragments, bullets, shrapnel, or other metallic implants not demonstrated to be TMS-compatible. * Pregnancy or actively breast feeding
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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
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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Christine E Lynn Rehabilitation Center
Miami, Florida, 33136, United States