Parkinson DiseasePD-D-taVNSNCT07679529
The Efficacy and Safety of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression in PD
A study testing Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in people with Parkinson Disease, run by The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University.
Trial summary
This study is a double blind comparative study examining the effectiveness of the transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation treatment on Parkinson's disease patients with depression. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 80 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Parkinson Disease
- What is being tested?
- Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2026to 1 Aug 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 40 to 80 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- This study recruited right-handed subjects from the Department of Neurology, Huai'an Second People's Hospital. The inclusion criteria for patients with PD and depression were as follows: diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease based on the clinical diagnostic criteria of the Movement Disorder Society; diagnosis of depressive disorder in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score ≥ 8; stable medication regimens for Parkinson's disease for at least one month prior to enrollment; aged 40 to 80 years; and voluntary participation with written informed consent. In addition, age- and gender-matched non-depressed PD patients and healthy controls were enrolled to further compare brain functional characteristics among different groups.
Who cannot join
- presence of cognitive impairment defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score < 23; ongoing use of antidepressant medications; presence of contraindications related to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS); receipt of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment within the past month; and comorbid severe neurological, renal, cardiovascular or hepatic diseases.
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Alleviates Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Parkinson's Disease and Depression During Verbal Fluency Tasks
This study is a double blind comparative study examining the effectiveness of the transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation treatment on Parkinson's disease patients with depression. The investigators hypothesize that taVNS will improve depression and cortical activity in Parkinson's disease patients with depression.
Read the detailed description
Participants in the Experimental group underwent fourteen consecutive daily sessions of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS, twice daily, 30 minutes each time) , whereas participants in the sham stimulation group underwent fourteen consecutive daily sessions of sham taVNS. Assessments of depression symptoms, motor symptoms were performed three times: at baseline, one day post intervention and 2 weeks post intervention. The cortical activity (using Functional near-infrared spectroscopy) were assessed at baseline, one day post intervention.
- Conditions
- Parkinson Disease
- Being tested
- Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation
- Keywords
- Parkinson's disease, depression, taVNS
- Medical subject headings
- Parkinson Disease, Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationDevice
Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation:Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve.Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min.Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily ,30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain.Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation:Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve. The stimulation paradigm was identical to that of the real stimulation group. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain.
Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationDevice
Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the left earlobe. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min. Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily , 30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| real Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation | Active comparator | Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve.Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min.Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily ,30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. Receives: Device: Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation |
| Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation | Sham comparator | Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the left earlobe. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min. Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily , 30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. Receives: Device: Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
change of Hamilton Depression Scale Score
Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D score), which was used for assessing the degree of Depression.The differences in HAMD score before and after treatment can be used to evaluate the effect of taVNS treatment
Measured: Assessed at baseline, one day post intervention,2 weeks post intervention
change of Hamilton Depression Scale Score Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-D score), which was used for assessing the degree of anxiety.The differences in HAMD score before and after treatment can be used to evaluate the effect of taVNS treatment
Measured: Assessed at baseline, one day post intervention#2 weeks post intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Jul 2026
- Study start1 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Parkinson DiseaseStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical UniversityThe 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Second People's Hospital of Huai'an
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Kezhong Zhang, Study director, China, Jiang Su the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07679529
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2026-06
- Other IDs
- The First Affiliated Hospital
- Acronym
- PD-D-taVNS
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 1 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Alleviates Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Parkinson's Disease and Depression During Verbal Fluency Tasks
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07679529
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PD-D-taVNS / 2026-06
- Conditions
- Parkinson Disease
- Keywords
- Parkinson's disease, depression, taVNS
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Second People's Hospital of Huai'an
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Aug 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 1 Jul 2026 (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 study is a double blind comparative study examining the effectiveness of the transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation treatment on Parkinson's disease patients with depression. The investigators hypothesize that taVNS will improve depression and cortical activity in Parkinson's disease patients with depression.
Detailed description
Participants in the Experimental group underwent fourteen consecutive daily sessions of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS, twice daily, 30 minutes each time) , whereas participants in the sham stimulation group underwent fourteen consecutive daily sessions of sham taVNS. Assessments of depression symptoms, motor symptoms were performed three times: at baseline, one day post intervention and 2 weeks post intervention. The cortical activity (using Functional near-infrared spectroscopy) were assessed at baseline, one day post intervention.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| real Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation | Active comparator | Device: Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationTwo modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve.Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min.Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily ,30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. |
| Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation | Sham comparator | Device: Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationTwo modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the left earlobe. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min. Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily , 30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- This study recruited right-handed subjects from the Department of Neurology, Huai'an Second People's Hospital. The inclusion criteria for patients with PD and depression were as follows: diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease based on the clinical diagnostic criteria of the Movement Disorder Society; diagnosis of depressive disorder in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) score ≥ 8; stable medication regimens for Parkinson's disease for at least one month prior to enrollment; aged 40 to 80 years; and voluntary participation with written informed consent. In addition, age- and gender-matched non-depressed PD patients and healthy controls were enrolled to further compare brain functional characteristics among different groups.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- presence of cognitive impairment defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score < 23; ongoing use of antidepressant medications; presence of contraindications related to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS); receipt of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment within the past month; and comorbid severe neurological, renal, cardiovascular or hepatic diseases.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationActive Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation:Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve.Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min.Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily ,30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain.Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation:Two modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve. The stimulation paradigm was identical to that of the real stimulation group. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. | Device | real Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation |
| Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationTwo modified dot-like electrodes delivered the stimulation to the left earlobe. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 20/4 Hz; pulse width = 200 μs; 20 Hz lasting 7 seconds, alternated with 4 Hz lasting 3 seconds#repeat until 30 min. Every PD patient received stimulation twice daily , 30 minutes each time, for 14 consecutive days. The stimulation intensity was set as the maximum value the patient could tolerate without causing pain. | Device | Sham Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation |
Primary outcome
change of Hamilton Depression Scale Score
Time frame: Assessed at baseline, one day post intervention,2 weeks post intervention
Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D score), which was used for assessing the degree of Depression.The differences in HAMD score before and after treatment can be used to evaluate the effect of taVNS treatment
change of Hamilton Depression Scale Score Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-D score), which was used for assessing the degree of anxiety.The differences in HAMD score before and after treatment can be used to evaluate the effect of taVNS treatment
Time frame: Assessed at baseline, one day post intervention#2 weeks post intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
Kezhong Zhang study director
China, Jiang Su the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Active Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in people with Parkinson Disease, run by The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University.
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 1 inclusion and 1 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Kezhong Zhang (13770840575, kezhong_zhang1969@126.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
change of Hamilton Depression Scale Score (time frame: Assessed at baseline, one day post intervention,2 weeks post intervention). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 1 Jul 2026.