Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Interoception Modulation

Completed · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Healthy Adult

In brief

Explore the effects of variable ingested volumes and auricular transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) on brain and stomach outcomes in healthy adults.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03603730

Run by

Massachusetts General Hospital

People needed

25

Starts

2023-07-11

Expected to finish

2026-03-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Male and female patients aged 18 and 65 years old (inclusive)
• Comprehension of instructions
• Avoidance of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine for 25 hours prior to study session Exclusion Criteria:
• BMI (Body Mass Index) more than 32 and/or weight > 235 lbs. (limits of the MRI table)
• Any other significant medical disease (systemic or CNS), psychiatric disorder, or chronic pain condition/s
• Epilepsy or a prior history of seizures
• Psychotropic medications or other medications that effect neurovascular coupling (i.e. fMRI)
• Subjects taking illicit drugs or opioids
• Allergy to pineapple (used in the test meal during MRI)
• Contraindications for MRI: High magnetic fields may pose a serious health hazard to subjects with implanted ferromagnetic objects. Every subject in this study will be carefully screened before entering the high magnetic field shielded room to collect a precise outline of the subject's medical history. Subjects with the following characteristics/disease will not be eligible to participate in the study: -History of Head Trauma -Any metallic implants (e.g. braces or permanent retainers) -Tattoos with metallic ink above the nipple line -Surgical Aneurysm Clips -Cardiac Pacemaker -Prosthetic Heart Valve -Neurostimulator -Implanted pumps -Cochlear Implants -Metal rods, Plates -Screws -Recent Previous Surgery -IUD -Hearing Aid -Dentures (which might create NMR artifacts) -Metal Injury to eyes -Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant -Breast Feeding -Meniere's Disease -Transdermal (skin) patches such as NicoDerm (nicotine for tobacco dependence), Transderm Scop, or Ortho Evra (birth control) -Non-normally cycling females -Claustrophobia

Where it is running

• Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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