Shocking the vagus nerve through the ear may restore movement after stroke
NCT ID NCT07081568
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether stimulating the vagus nerve through both ears can improve movement and sensation in people who recently had a stroke. Forty participants will receive daily 30-minute sessions for four weeks. Researchers will measure changes in motor function, sensation, and brain activity to see if the treatment is safe and effective.
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 (a device that stimulates the vagus nerve through the ear)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-invasive, drug-free way to help people regain movement and feeling after a stroke.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 40 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatment is still experimental and may not provide significant benefit.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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 80 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.
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: * Patients with first-episode ischemic stroke within 7 to 14 days of onset; * Be over 18 years old; * The skin at the irritated area remains intact; * The informed consent form has been signed. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive dysfunction (Mini-Mental State Examination≥19); * Peripheral limb movement limiting factors (fractures); * History of major neurological and mental disorders in the past; * Uncontrollable limb and facial muscle twitching, and spontaneous profuse sweating; * Intracranial shunt pumps, metal implants
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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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The Fourth Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Nanchang University
RECRUITINGNanchang, Jiangxi, 330009, China
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