Depression, AnxietyNCT05791383
taVNS on the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
A study testing transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation in people with Depression, Anxiety, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This is a research study to find out if mental health symptoms in patients admitted to the Institute of Psychiatry are affected by a form of ear stimulation called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, or taVNS. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Dec 2022to 24 Mar 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Ages 18 and up
- English speaking
- Admitted to 3 North's inpatient unit in MUSC's Institute of Psychiatry (IOP)
- Have the capacity and ability to provide one's own consent and sign the informed consent document
- Primary depression diagnosis
Who cannot join
- Facial or ear pain or recent ear trauma.
- Metal implant devices in the head, heart or neck.
- History of brain surgery.
- History of myocardial infarction or arrhythmia, bradycardia.
- Acute exacerbation of a chronic respiratory disorder or acute COVID-related symptoms.
- Active GI symptoms with a history of diabetes mellitus or history of gastroparesis secondary to diabetes mellitus.
Show all 13Show fewer
- Personal or family history of seizure or epilepsy or personal use of medications that substantially reduce seizure threshold (e.g., olanzapine, chlorpromazine, lithium).
- Personal history of head injury, concussion, or self-report of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.
- Individuals suffering from frequent/severe headaches.
- Individuals with a reported history of psychosis or mania, or individuals who are actively manic or psychotic.
- Individuals who are catatonic or otherwise unable to participate in the informed consent process.
- Moderate to severe alcohol or substance use disorder.
- Pregnancy
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Medical University of South Carolina Institute of Psychiatry
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425
About this study
Official title: Managing Inpatient Neuropsychiatric Conditions Using Wearable Auricular Vagus Stimulation: The iWAVE Pilot Trial
This is a research study to find out if mental health symptoms in patients admitted to the Institute of Psychiatry are affected by a form of ear stimulation called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, or taVNS. Participants will receive ear stimulation during their inpatient treatment at the Institute of Psychiatry. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive ear stimulation for 1 day (up to 9 treatments over the course of a single day) or 3 days (up to 3 treatments per day), and will have a 50:50 chance of being in either group (like the flip of a coin). Each treatment will last up to 30 minutes and there will be a break of at least 30 minutes in between treatments. The study team will ask participants to complete a group of questionnaires at the beginning and end of the study. In addition, there are several questionnaires that will be completed daily while participants are receiving ear stimulation. Participants in the 1 day stimulation group will also receive 2 days of follow up questionnaires after the initial day of stimulation. The questionnaires will ask questions about mental health symptoms that subjects may or may not be experiencing, including questions about mood, anxiety, and sleep. The ear stimulation treatments will not interfere with the care subjects are receiving from the medical team. In order to qualify for this study, participants must be actively receiving inpatient care at the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry.
- Conditions
- Depression, Anxiety
- Being tested
- transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation
- Medical subject headings
- Depression, Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
transcutaneous auricular neurostimulationDevice
All transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. We will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. taVNS sessions are considered complete after 30minutes. Subsequent taVNS sessions may be repeated no less than 30minutes after prior session completion. All subjects will begin with taVNS administered to the left auricle, however, if they begin to experience any irritation or discomfort of the left ear, study team staff will offer subjects the option to stop stimulation or switch stimulation to the right auricle.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (low dose) | Experimental | All taVNS procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. Electrodes will be placed on the left auricle and we will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. The low dose taVNS group will receive up to 3 treatments per day over the course of 3 days (for a total of up to 9 treatments). Receives: Device: transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation |
| transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (high dose) | Experimental | All taVNS procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. Electrodes will be placed on the left auricle and we will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. The high dose taVNS group will receive up to 9 treatments in a single day. Receives: Device: transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Side Effect and Adverse Event Report
Subjects will be monitored for adverse effects while receiving treatments.
Measured: 4 days
Secondary outcomes (1)
General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Scale
Subjects will conduct pre- and post- anxiety assessments to understand if stimulation improves neuropsychiatric condition. Higher GAD-7 scores indicate higher anxiety symptoms.
Measured: 4 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Mar 2023
- Study start1 Dec 2022
- Primary completion24 Mar 2024
- Study completion24 Mar 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Depression, AnxietyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Medical University of South CarolinaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Device feasibility
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Xiaolong Peng, Medical University of South Carolina
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05791383
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 00120876
- Status last verified
- Apr 2025
- First submitted
- 4 Jan 2023
- Last updated
- 6 Apr 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Austelle CW, Cox SS, Connolly DJ, Baker Vogel B, Peng X, Wills K, Sutton F, Tucker KB, Ashley E, Manett A, Cortese B, Short EB, Badran BW. Accelerated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Inpatient Depression and Anxiety: The iWAVE Open Label Pilot Trial. Neuromodulation. 2025 Jun;28(4):672-681. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2025.02.003. Epub 2025 Mar 19.
PubMed 40117415
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Apr 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Managing Inpatient Neuropsychiatric Conditions Using Wearable Auricular Vagus Stimulation: The iWAVE Pilot Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05791383
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 00120876
- Conditions
- Depression, Anxiety
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University of South CarolinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Dec 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 24 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 24 Mar 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 30 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This is a research study to find out if mental health symptoms in patients admitted to the Institute of Psychiatry are affected by a form of ear stimulation called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, or taVNS. Participants will receive ear stimulation during their inpatient treatment at the Institute of Psychiatry. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive ear stimulation for 1 day (up to 9 treatments over the course of a single day) or 3 days (up to 3 treatments per day), and will have a 50:50 chance of being in either group (like the flip of a coin). Each treatment will last up to 30 minutes and there will be a break of at least 30 minutes in between treatments. The study team will ask participants to complete a group of questionnaires at the beginning and end of the study. In addition, there are several questionnaires that will be completed daily while participants are receiving ear stimulation. Participants in the 1 day stimulation group will also receive 2 days of follow up questionnaires after the initial day of stimulation. The questionnaires will ask questions about mental health symptoms that subjects may or may not be experiencing, including questions about mood, anxiety, and sleep. The ear stimulation treatments will not interfere with the care subjects are receiving from the medical team. In order to qualify for this study, participants must be actively receiving inpatient care at the MUSC Institute of Psychiatry.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Device feasibility
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (low dose) | Experimental | Device: transcutaneous auricular neurostimulationAll taVNS procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. Electrodes will be placed on the left auricle and we will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. The low dose taVNS group will receive up to 3 treatments per day over the course of 3 days (for a total of up to 9 treatments). |
| transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (high dose) | Experimental | Device: transcutaneous auricular neurostimulationAll taVNS procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. Electrodes will be placed on the left auricle and we will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. The high dose taVNS group will receive up to 9 treatments in a single day. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Ages 18 and up
- English speaking
- Admitted to 3 North's inpatient unit in MUSC's Institute of Psychiatry (IOP)
- Have the capacity and ability to provide one's own consent and sign the informed consent document
- Primary depression diagnosis
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Facial or ear pain or recent ear trauma.
- Metal implant devices in the head, heart or neck.
- History of brain surgery.
- History of myocardial infarction or arrhythmia, bradycardia.
- Acute exacerbation of a chronic respiratory disorder or acute COVID-related symptoms.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| transcutaneous auricular neurostimulationAll transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation procedures will be conducted using the Spark Biomedical device. We will use stimulation parameters similar to ongoing taVNS work (25Hz, 500us pulse width) and a duty cycle of 1 minute on, 30 s off, repeated for 30 minutes. taVNS sessions are considered complete after 30minutes. Subsequent taVNS sessions may be repeated no less than 30minutes after prior session completion. All subjects will begin with taVNS administered to the left auricle, however, if they begin to experience any irritation or discomfort of the left ear, study team staff will offer subjects the option to stop stimulation or switch stimulation to the right auricle. | Device | transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (high dose), transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (low dose) |
Primary outcome
Side Effect and Adverse Event Report
Time frame: 4 days
Subjects will be monitored for adverse effects while receiving treatments.
1 secondary outcome
General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Scale
Time frame: 4 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Apr 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40117415Austelle CW, Cox SS, Connolly DJ, Baker Vogel B, Peng X, Wills K, Sutton F, Tucker KB, Ashley E, Manett A, Cortese B, Short EB, Badran BW. Accelerated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Inpatient Depression and Anxiety: The iWAVE Open Label Pilot Trial. Neuromodulation. 2025 Jun;28(4):672-681. doi: 10.1016/j.neurom.2025.02.003. Epub 2025 Mar 19.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Depression, Anxiety
Recruiting
Unified Protocol in Penitentiary Facilities
Depression Disorders, Anxiety
Not yet recruiting
Preventive and Personalized Digital Emotion Regulation Skills Intervention to Reduce Depression and Anxiety in Youths With Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experience, Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Functional Impact of Psychological Symptoms in Patients With Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SSCD): a National Cross-sectional Study
Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence
Recruiting
Trial Phase: Syndemic Adapted Medly Uganda
Mental Health
Recruiting
Cultural Adaptation of an Online Parenting Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents
Risk of Depression and Anxiety
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation in people with Depression, Anxiety, run by Medical University of South Carolina at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Apr 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Side Effect and Adverse Event Report (time frame: 4 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05791383, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Apr 2025.