Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Enhance Memory in Aging

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

150 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2027-02-28

Study Completion Date

2028-07-31

Brief Summary

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The aim of this study is to determine whether non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation enhances memory formation in cognitively healthy older adults and whether the effects of stimulation depend on gut and brain health.

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Alzheimer Disease Aging

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

The study will use a sham-controlled, single-blind, within-subject, counterbalanced, randomized design. Each participant will complete four blocks (two active and two sham stimulation) in a counterbalanced within-subject design using an ABBA or BAAB order (A = active taVNS, B = sham stimulation). To ensure equal numbers per order, order will be deterministically assigned by subject ID parity: odd = ABBA, even = BAAB. Subject IDs will be issued sequentially within the age group, yielding balance in both Young and Older groups and effective random assignment of participants to order condition.

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Because the active electrode will be placed on the cymba conchae and the sham on the earlobe, full double-blinding is not feasible; as such, the experimenter will be aware of the active/sham condition status of each experimental block. Participants will be masked/blinded to condition order and hypotheses (they will not be informed which blocks are active vs. sham).

Study Groups

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Active vagus nerve stimulation

Participants will receive active stimulation during memory encoding of picture-word pairs. Active stimulation will occur during two learning phases of the learning and memory task. The total duration of these two phases will be less than 30 minutes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation will be delivered with a well-validated device. taVNS delivers stimulation on the left ear, with the placement of the stimulating electrode differing between the active and sham conditions. Stimulation will occur during each learning trial (total of 30 trials per phase).

Sham stimulation

Participants will receive sham stimulation during memory encoding of picture-word pairs. Sham stimulation will occur during two learning phases of the learning and memory task. The total duration of these two phases will be less than 30 minutes.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation will be delivered with a well-validated device. taVNS delivers stimulation on the left ear, with the placement of the stimulating electrode differing between the active and sham conditions. Stimulation will occur during each learning trial (total of 30 trials per phase).

Interventions

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Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS)

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation will be delivered with a well-validated device. taVNS delivers stimulation on the left ear, with the placement of the stimulating electrode differing between the active and sham conditions. Stimulation will occur during each learning trial (total of 30 trials per phase).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Ages 18-30 years or 65-80 years
* Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (visual acuity)
* Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

* Pregnant
* Symptoms of memory loss
* History of a neurological, psychiatric, or medical condition that could affect cognition or preclude MRI or pupillometry
* Use of medications known to alter cognition
* For older adults, neuropsychological performance that falls outside 1.5 standard deviations of age-adjusted norms and no self-reported memory or attention complaints

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes