Ear-Zapping device may boost reading skills in dyslexic teens
NCT ID NCT06127550
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether a non-invasive device that gently stimulates the vagus nerve through the ear can improve letter learning in 100 adolescents with dyslexia. Participants will learn new letter-sound relationships during six 30-minute sessions while receiving either active or sham stimulation. The study also uses brain scans to see if the stimulation changes how the brain responds to letters. However, the trial is currently suspended, and the main goal is to see if the approach is feasible and tolerable.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to help children with dyslexia learn letters more easily.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early pilot study focused on feasibility, not proof of effectiveness. The trial is currently suspended, and results may not show clear benefits.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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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10 to 12 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: * Normal non-verbal IQ * Reading scores above 90 on four single word reading measures (typical reader) OR reading scores below 90 on two or more single word reading measures (dyslexia) with or without ADHD Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological diagnoses (e.g., autism, epilepsy, etc.) * Medications other than those prescribed for ADHD * Nonverbal IQ below 80
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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
Gainesville, Florida, 32610, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Electric headset may help children with dyslexia read better
- Video games may unlock a new path to treat dyslexia
- Dyslexia study probes hidden link between movement and reading
- Zapping the brain to boost reading skills: new study tests electric stimulation for dyslexia
- Brain zaps reveal how dyslexic teens learn new words