Respiratory-gated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improving Apathy in Parkinson's Disease

NCT ID: NCT07118956

Last Updated: 2025-11-19

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

60 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-05-01

Study Completion Date

2028-05-01

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether 100HZ respiratory-gated vagus nerve stimulation (RAVANS) can improve the non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). It will also learn the safety of 100HZ RAVANS. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Can 100HZ RAVANS improve apathy in people with PD? Did the participants have any side effects or safety issues when undergoing 100HZ RAVANS? Researchers compared 100HZ RAVANS with sham stimulation (low-dose stimulation of the same site and treatment parameters) to see if 100HZ RAVANS could improve non-motor symptoms in patients with PD.

Participants will:

Receive 100HZ RAVANS or sham stimulation for 2 weeks. Neuropsychological assessment, imaging and biological sample collection were conducted before and after the entire cycle.

Detailed Description

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This study employs a double-blind, sham-controlled design to further validate the effects of 100Hz RAVANS on apathy . Patients were randomized into real or sham stimulation groups. Both groups will receive RAVANS once daily, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a total duration of two weeks. The study design will include neuropsychological assessments, imaging, and biological specimen collection before and after the entire cycle.

Conditions

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Parkinson Disease Apathy Non-motor Symptoms Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

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Active respiratory-gated transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (RAVANS)

Participants will receive active RAVANS daily for 2 week.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Active RAVANS

Intervention Type OTHER

Real RAVANS was performed on the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve according to the Participant's respiratory rhythm. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 100 Hz; pulse width = 200 us, once a day, 30 minutes each time, one second of stimulation occurs during exhalation.

Sham RAVANS

Participants will receive sham RAVANS daily for 2 week.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham RAVANS

Intervention Type OTHER

Sham RAVANS was performed on on the cymba conchae of left ear according to the Participant's respiratory rhythm. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 100 Hz; pulse width = 200 us, once a day, 30 minutes each time, one second of stimulation occurs during exhalation and the interval between stimulus is 29 seconds.

Interventions

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Active RAVANS

Real RAVANS was performed on the cymba conchae of left ear in the vicinity of the auricular branch vagus nerve according to the Participant's respiratory rhythm. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 100 Hz; pulse width = 200 us, once a day, 30 minutes each time, one second of stimulation occurs during exhalation.

Intervention Type OTHER

Sham RAVANS

Sham RAVANS was performed on on the cymba conchae of left ear according to the Participant's respiratory rhythm. Stimulation parameters: frequency = 100 Hz; pulse width = 200 us, once a day, 30 minutes each time, one second of stimulation occurs during exhalation and the interval between stimulus is 29 seconds.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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RAVANS RAVANS

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Meet the diagnostic criteria for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (based on the MDS Clinical Diagnostic Criteria for Parkinson's Disease (2015 version)).
2. Patients with Apathy Motivation Index (AMI) score \>1.7.
3. All PD patients must be on stable, standardized medication regimens with no adjustments to medications for at least 1 month prior to the study and throughout the study period.
4. Demonstrate good compliance and adherence, capable of completing behavioral tests and taVNS therapy.
5. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥22.
6. Meet safety criteria for MRI screening.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Prior brain MRI/CT showing focal brain lesions or severe white matter disease (Fazekas grade 3 or higher).
2. Secondary parkinsonism (e.g., vascular parkinsonism, drug-induced parkinsonism).
3. History of severe traumatic brain injury, neurosurgery, or deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.
4. Personal history of epilepsy, unexplained loss of consciousness, or current use of anticonvulsant medications for seizure control.
5. Diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disorders other than Parkinson's disease.
6. Current use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or Non-benzodiazepine GABA receptor agonist drug or anticholinergics or corticosteroids, or history of substance abuse or drug addiction.
7. Participation in any clinical trial within the past 3 months.
8. Severe systemic comorbidities (e.g., hepatic/renal failure, arrhythmias, organic heart disease).
9. Pregnant/lactating women or subjects (including males) planning pregnancy within 6 months.
10. Contraindications to taVNS, such as cardiac pacemakers, post-DBS surgery, or auricular pathologies (e.g., tympanic membrane perforation).
Minimum Eligible Age

40 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

90 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Anhui Medical University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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WANG KAI

Head of the Department, Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Kai Wang, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Anhui Medical University

Locations

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Cognitive Neuropsychology Lab Anhui Medical University

Hefei, Anhui, China

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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China

Central Contacts

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Rong Ye, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

+8615656050129

Panpan Hu, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

+8655162923704

Facility Contacts

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Kai Wang, Ph.D.

Role: primary

+8655162923704

Panpan Hu, M.D.

Role: backup

+8613515602285

Other Identifiers

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PD-TaVNS-RCT

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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