Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Alcohol Use Disorder
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05226130. 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.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation to Improve Functional Outcomes in Veterans With Alcohol Use Disorder
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major health concern amongst Veterans as it causes poor health, lost days at work, impaired psychosocial functioning, and decreased quality of life. Current treatment options for AUD show limited effectiveness, which is exemplified by high relapse rates. Chronic heavy drinking results in psychological and physical distress during abstinence, including anxiety, irritability, and general discomfort, which increases the urge to drink to relieve these symptoms. The hypothesis of this study is that noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) can modify the perception of such inner bodily sensations of distress, and consequently reduces the drive to drink for relief. The aim of this study is to establish feasibility and acceptability of applying nVNS as a rehabilitative treatment for AUD in Veterans. The study will also evaluate the effect of nVNS on functional outcomes, quality of life, distress, and craving, and if nVNS alters neural activation patterns in brain regions involved in the perception and awareness of distress and pain.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT05226130
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Enrollment
- 19 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
- Cervical transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (active comparator) Device
- Cervical transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (sham comparator) Device
Device
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 21 Years to 65 Years
- Sex
- Male
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- May 1, 2022
- Primary completion
- Apr 30, 2024
- Completion
- Apr 30, 2024
- Last update posted
- Jul 2, 2025
2022 – 2024
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA | San Diego | California | 92161-0002 | — |
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 NCT05226130, 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 Jul 2, 2025 · Synced Sep 5, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT05226130 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.