Ear zaps may change how you feel pain
NCT ID NCT07325058
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study explores how stimulating a nerve in the ear with different frequencies can change how healthy people feel pain. Researchers will apply a mild electric current to the ear and measure pain from capsaicin (the spicy part of chili peppers) and pressure. The goal is to understand the effects and how long they last, which could help develop new pain treatments.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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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16 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: * Healthy * Speak and understand English * 18-60 years old. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant and/or breastfeeding * Regular use of cannabis, opioids or other drugs * Current or previous neurologic, musculoskeletal, mental, or other illnesses (e.g., brain or spinal cord injuries, degenerative neurological disorders, major depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, etc.) * Current regular (once or more a week) use of analgesic medication or other medication which may affect the trial (including paracetamol and NSAIDs) * Recent history of acute pain particularly in the lower limbs * Abnormally disrupted sleep in 24 hours preceding experiment * Contraindications to electric stimulation application (history of epilepsy, metal implants in head or jaw, etc.) * Lack of ability to cooperate * Contraindications for capsaicin including an intolerance chili consumption and burns or wounds to the application site.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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Center For Neuroplasticity and Pain
RECRUITINGAalborg, 9000, Denmark