Could a gentle zap to the forehead protect the brain after injury?
NCT ID NCT07044596
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether mild electrical stimulation of a nerve in the forehead can improve blood flow and waste clearance in the brain. Researchers will measure changes in brain fluid flow using MRI and light-based imaging in 55 healthy adults and people with mild traumatic brain injury. The goal is to see if this non-invasive approach could eventually help slow cognitive decline.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- V1 stimulation electrodes (mild electrical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive way to help clear waste from the brain and potentially slow cognitive decline after brain injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (55 participants) focused on measuring blood flow and fluid changes, not on clinical outcomes. It may not lead to a proven treatment.
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 55 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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20 to 85 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 - Healthy Participants : * Age 20-85 years * Willing and able to undergo all procedures * Free of any neurological (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, Parkinson's, brain tumors, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury), neuropsychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia, substance abuse, clinical depression), or developmental (e.g., autism, ADHD) or any other medical condition at the discretion of the PI and co-investigators Inclusion Criteria - mTBI : * Age 20-65 * Diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury and be within 1-52 weeks post-injury * Willing and able to undergo all procedures Exclusion Criteria - Healthy Participants: * Contraindication to MRI * Known allergies to common electrode materials Exclusion Criteria - mTBI: * Contraindications for MRI * Known allergies to common electrode materials * Candidates currently on cardiovascular medications which, in the opinion of the investigators, would introduce a confounding factor to glymphatic system function (i.e. ACE-inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers) * Candidates who have chronic infectious diseases (e.g. hepatitis, HIV, TB) * Candidates diagnosed with small vessel disease, vascular associated dementia (e.g. VCID), or renal disease * Candidates retinopathies or neuropathies that, in the opinion of the investigators, would prevent them from being able to complete the study or would introduce a confounding factor to glymphatic system function * Candidates with neurological disorders other than those attributed to their primary diagnosis (e.g. MS, PD, ALS, AD or other dementia, uncontrolled pain) * Candidates who have had a penetrating injury, craniotomy (with the exception of a burr hole (trephination) for resolution of acute subdural hematoma), or refractory subdural hematoma * Candidates with a history of seizures (except those in the acute or post-acute phases and are controlled) * Candidates who experienced a loss of consciousness greater than 24 hours as a result of their TBI * Candidates who, in the opinion of the investigators, are unable to feel a sensory referred sensation from the stimulation or successfully complete the electrode placement and testing fNIRs
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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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University of Wisconsin - Madison
RECRUITINGMadison, Wisconsin, 53705, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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