Recruiting

tVNS

Sponsor:

Georgia Institute of Technology

Code:

NCT06323954

Conditions

Older Adults

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

tVNS stimulation

Sham stimulation

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this study is to learn about the effect of applying transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) during motor training on motor learning in older adults. The main question it aims to answer is whether applying tVNS after successful motor trials (post-success tVNS) will facilitate the rate of motor learning. Participants will be randomly assigned to tVNS or sham group and receive tVNS or sham, respectively, at the outer ear during finger control training sessions. Finger control performance will be tested before and after the training sessions without outer ear stimulation.

Conditions

Older Adults

Study ID

NCT06323954

Start date

May 27, 2025

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Jul 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 30, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 65-84 years old across all races, genders, and ethnicities.
  • Physically and cognitively healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Younger than 65 years old or older than 84 years old
  • Current or history of cardiac disease
  • Have an implanted device such as a neurostimulator or cochlear implant
  • Current or history of tympanic membrane perforation
  • Have a musculoskeletal issue that prevents hand function (e.g., arthritis)
  • Have a vision problem not corrected by glasses or contact lenses
  • Uncorrected auditory impairments
  • Had a stroke or lesion (including tumor) in the brain
  • Had a head injury or brain surgery
  • Suffer from frequent or severe headaches
  • Had a fainting spell or syncope
  • Have any metal in the head such as shrapnel, surgical clips, or fragments from welding or metal work
  • Have any implanted device such as cardiac pacemakers, medical pumps, or intracardiac lines
  • Had any brain-related conditions (i.e. multiple sclerosis, Parkinson, Alzheimer)
  • Had any illness that caused brain injury (i.e. meningitis, aneurysm, brain tumor)
  • Had any head trauma that was associated with a loss of consciousness or diagnosed as a concussion
  • Being treated for any psychiatric condition (i.e. depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia)
  • Suspected of pregnancy
  • Pregnant
  • Cognitive status issues as confirmed with the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE <26)
  • Musculoskeletal condition or injury that would limit hand range of motion

Study Design

Enrollment

34 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: tVNS stimulation

Brief electrical current will be applied to the vagus nerve area (the tragus or cymba concha, depending on the shape and size of the ear) immediately after successful trials during finger control training.

sham comparator: Sham stimulation

Brief electrical current will be applied to the non-vagus nerve area (the earlobe) immediately after successful trials during finger control training.

Interventions

tVNS stimulation

Electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve area.

Sham stimulation

Electrical stimulation to the non-vagus nerve area.

Primary outcome measure

  • Rate of error reduction [ Time Frame: 2 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Minoru Shinohara, PhD

4048941030shinohara@gatech.edu

Locations

Human Neuromuscular Physiology Lab

Recruiting

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30332

Contacts

Minoru Shinohara, Ph.D.

404-894-1030shinohara@gatech.edu

Principal Investigator:

Minoru Shinohara, Ph.D.

More Information

Sponsor

Georgia Institute of Technology

Last update posted

Jul 22, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Georgia Institute of Technology on 2026-07-22.