Could a simple ear vibration quiet the ringing in your ears?
NCT ID NCT06821893
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a device that gently vibrates the left ear to stimulate the vagus nerve, aiming to reduce the bother of chronic tinnitus. Forty adults with moderate to severe tinnitus used either the active device or a sham (inactive) device during 8 weeks of online mindfulness training. Researchers measured changes in tinnitus severity and how often people used the device.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- vibrational ear clip device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, non-invasive way to ease the annoyance of tinnitus without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device is used alongside mindfulness, making it hard to know which part helps.
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
-
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
-
40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jan 2025
- Finished
-
Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 70 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Age ≥ 18 * Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English * Bothersome tinnitus with initial TSSF score greater than 40 on screening * Available for the entire period of the study including one month follow-up after completion of 8-week intervention period * Access to internet-connected device(s) such as phone, tablet, or laptop with a camera Exclusion Criteria: * Age\>70 * Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period * Previous participation in an auricular stimulation trial * Currently on active treatment for tinnitus * Have cochlear implant or other device that impedes usage of auricular stimulation device * Tinnitus related to ear surgery, Meniere's disease, ear infections, or other ear pathology * Substance abuse * Unstable psychiatric disorders * Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score greater than 9 History of brain surgery * History of traumatic brain injury * History of bradycardia or bradyarythmias
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Tinnitus are added.
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Washington University
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Is hearing loss becoming a bigger cause of disability? a national study digs into the data
- Rewiring the brain to silence Tinnitus's grip?
- Can a new pill silence the ringing in your ears?
- Could nicotine gum silence the ringing in your ears?
- Could fixing sleep silence the ringing? a digital therapy trial aims to find out
- Could a patch behind the ear silence tinnitus?