The Effect of Different Low-Level Tragus Stimulation Parameters On Autonomic Nervous System Function
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04682704. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
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Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Low level transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (LLTS) involves delivery of electrical impulses transcutaneously at the auricular branch of vagus nerve and it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-arrhythmic effects. In previous studies from our laboratory, we found that LLTS significantly suppressed atrial fibrillation (AF) inducibility and decreased AF duration. The anti-arrhythmic effects of LLTS were similar to those delivered to the cervical VN trunk. LLTS for just one hour significantly shortened the AF duration and decreased inflammatory cytokines. We have also shown that LLTS leads to favorable heart rate variability (HRV) changes and cardiac mechanics in patients with diastolic dysfunction. These results support the use of LLTS as a novel non-pharmacological, non-ablative treatment modality for AF and possibly other inflammatory conditions. However, the optimal stimulation parameters of LLTS remain to be determined. In this study, we aim to examine the effect of 2 different frequencies (5Hz and 20Hz) and 2 different amplitudes (50% below the pain threshold and 1mA below the pain threshold) of LLTS on heart rate variability with deep breathing (HRVdb), mental arithmetic stress test (MAST), frequency domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and brain stem evoked potentials (BSEVP) in healthy volunteers and patients with AF or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HRV is a marker of vagus nerve activity and can be easily measured by software calculating the distance between consecutive R waves on the ECG. BSEVP are a surrogate for the central projections of the vagus nerve. Patients will be randomized into 4 groups in a 2x2 factorial design. LLTS will be delivered through a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device for 15 minutes. HRVdb, HRV and BSEVP will be measured before and after LLTS and compared.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT04682704
- Recruitment status
- Not listed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 90 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 21 Years to 90 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepts healthy volunteers
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Nov 29, 2021
- Primary completion
- Sep 30, 2024
- Completion
- Jan 31, 2025
- Last update posted
- Feb 20, 2024
2021 – 2025
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 73104 | Recruiting |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04682704, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Feb 20, 2024 · Synced Sep 3, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT04682704 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.