Could a gentle zap to the ear supercharge OCD treatment?
NCT ID NCT05580614
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a mild nerve stimulation device (tVNS) can make exposure therapy work better for people with OCD. About 56 adults with moderate to severe OCD will receive either real or fake stimulation during therapy sessions. The goal is to see if the combination reduces obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors more than therapy alone.
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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 56 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2022
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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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18 to 55 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: * Adults between the ages of 18 and 55 * Meet DSM-5 criteria for OCD, based on a structured clinical interview and who have a YBOCS score of 15 or higher, indicating at least moderate OCD severity * Participants must be willing and able to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with major neurological conditions, autism spectrum disorder, psychosis, major uncorrected sensory deficit, and severe medical disease that may be associated with neurological effects. * People with an active eating disorder that requires treatment, but we will not exclude people who are in remission. * Current illicit or prescription drug abuse * Participants who are receiving pharmacotherapy for their OCD or for other psychiatric disorders will not be excluded * No medication changes will be allowed during the study, and participants must be on stable doses of medications for at least 6 weeks prior to entering the study. Prior ERP treatment (at least 12 months removed) is acceptable
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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 Florida
RECRUITINGGainesville, Florida, 32610, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can continued therapy keep OCD symptoms at bay?
- Sound waves to the brain: a new hope for Tough-to-Treat OCD?
- Retraining the brain: could a Thought-Focused app ease OCD?
- Could a single brain target treat depression, anxiety, and OCD at once?
- Morning light may ease OCD symptoms in night owls