Could a nerve zap and talk therapy soothe your upset stomach?
NCT ID NCT06360900
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 5 times
Summary
This study tests whether combining a nerve-stimulating device (placed on the ear) with behavioral therapy can reduce stomach pain and anxiety in people with functional dyspepsia, a condition where the stomach feels upset without a clear cause. Researchers will track symptoms and stomach movement using MRI. The trial involves 80 adults who will attend weekly therapy sessions online and use the device daily at home.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- vagal nerve stimulation device and behavioral therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new drug-free way to manage functional dyspepsia symptoms and related anxiety.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 80 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The device and therapy may not provide significant relief.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
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 65 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-65 years old (inclusive) * Ability to give written consent and participate in behavioral intervention in English * Willingness to attend weekly treatment sessions over live video, daily self-administered transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) sessions, and engage in homework during treatment * Avoidance of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine for 24 hours prior to study session * Diagnosis according to the Rome IV criteria for both epigastric pain syndrome and postprandial distress syndrome subtypes * Stable medical treatment for functional dyspepsia (FD) during 1 month before the study and during the study period Exclusion Criteria: * Previous receipt of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for gastrointestinal symptoms * Enteral or parenteral feeding * Previous gastrointestinal surgery, electrolyte disturbances, kidney dysfunction, renal insufficiency, or iron overload disorders * Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) \< 60 * Medications that affect gastrointestinal motility in addition to medications or products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) will be stopped at least 7 days prior to the start of the study and for the duration of the study. However, anti-depressants (SSRI's, TCA's) may be allowed in order to reduce the risk of worsening neuropsychiatric disease, though it will be up to the study team and the Principal Investigator whether subjects on anti-depressants will be able to participate in the study * Intellectual disability by history * Diabetes, mitochondrial disease, severe autonomic dysfunction, and small fiber polyneuropathy * No active clinical acupuncture therapy * Illicit drugs or opioid usage * History of arrhythmias * Current pregnancy/breastfeeding * Contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (implanted ferromagnetic objects, claustrophobia) * Weight \> 450 lbs. (limit of the MRI table) * Allergy to pineapple (used in the test meal during MRI) * Any other condition interfering with study requirements, according to the Investigator
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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 study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02129, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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