Recruiting · registry status

Testing ear stimulation for thinking skills

Researchers apply gentle electrical stimulation to the ear and study effects on decision-making, problem-solving and other thinking abilities.

Testing a treatment or activity · Study reference: NCT07424365

Plain-language introduction written with AI from the registry; not independently checked by a clinician. Read the original details below ↓

This registry record was last updated over six months ago, or its update date is missing. Recruitment may have changed. Confirm with the team before making plans.

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Looking for volunteers

Start (reported actual date): 2025-05-19
Main measurements finished (planned): 2028-05
Study finished (planned): 2028-05

Planned dates can move. A study finishing does not tell us when a paper will be published.

No results summary has been confirmed in the registry records we imported. See connected papers below; we keep checking after recruitment ends.

Changes we have recorded

2026-10-11 — recruiting

These are dates we observed a change, not necessarily the dates it happened.

Papers connected to this study

No connected paper has been found yet. The tracker checks the growing library for study identifiers and registry-linked publications.

Who can join?

Ages 18 years to 65 years · Also accepts healthy volunteers

These are starting points, not the full rules. The research team can tell you whether the study is right for your situation.

Read all the rules for taking part

Sex eligibility reported by registry: all

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals aged 18-65. 2. Ability to sign informed consent. 3. Ability to follow written and verbal instructions. 4. For the PD group, a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease without severe motor or cognitive impairments. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current uncontrolled and/or clinically significant medical condition. 2. Abnormal ear anatomy or active ear infection. 3. Electronic medical implants, such as pacemakers, cochlear prosthesis, neuro-stimulators. 4. Uncorrected visual impairments that would interfere with task performance. (6) Other significant diseases or disorders that might impair study participation.

Full study name & original research details

Official study title

Investigation of Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Augment Executive Functioning

Short title used by the registry

Study to Investigate Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Augment Executive Function in Healthy and Cognitively Impaired Populations

Original description

This study plans to learn more about how stimulating the vagus nerve through gentle electrical stimulation applied to the ear can affect decision-making, problem-solving, and other thinking abilities. This process, called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), could help improve brain function in both healthy individuals and people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Further description from the registry

This is a single-site pilot study to assess the safety, feasibility, and potential therapeutic effect of paired-taVNS cognitive training in healthy individuals and people with PD. In the longitudinal study, healthy and PD participants will be prospectively assigned to receive either the sham or active intervention based on order of enrollment in the study. In the acute study, healthy participants will receive both the sham and active intervention, where the order will be prospectively randomized based on order of enrollment in the study.

Conditions reported: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI); Parkinsons Disease (PD); Healthy Adult

Registry records for this study

Records are joined using registration identifiers. Titles alone do not establish that two studies are the same.

ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT07424365 ↗ — RECRUITING; checked 2026-10-13

Study type: Interventional
Interventions: transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation; sham stimulation
Phases: NA
Sponsor: University of Colorado, Denver
Start date reported by registry: 2025-05-19 (actual)

Registry updated: 2026-02-20 · Status last verified by the registry submitter: 2026-02

Registry records retrieved 2026-10-13 (UTC). Individual records may have older updates. Recruitment and eligibility must be confirmed with the study team.

Contact the research team

Public study contacts supplied to the registry. Ask whether recruitment is still open and what participation involves.

Elise R Carter · 3094335932 · elise.carter@cuanschutz.edu

Study locations

Site status can differ from overall study status. “Status not reported” means local availability needs confirmation. Remote participation and travel arrangements must be checked with the team.

Clinical Translational Research Center at CU Anschutz

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Recruiting

Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute · 303-724-1222 · CCTSI.Helpdesk@ucdenver.edu

Cristin Welle, PhD

Isabelle Buard, PhD

Daniel Kramer, MD

The original descriptions and participation rules come from the registry. Participation is voluntary and does not guarantee benefit.