What this study is
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.
What's being tested
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS)
Intervention · 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).
Study details
- Sponsor
- Stanford University
- Conditions
- Alzheimer Disease · Aging
- Enrolling
- 150 people
- Starts
- 2027-02
- Est. completion
- 2028-07
- Design
- Single-blind, randomized, crossover
- Record
- View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Who can join
Age 18 Years – 80 YearsSex ALLHealthy volunteers AcceptedYou may qualify if
- Ages 18-30 years or 65-80 years
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (visual acuity)
- Fluent in English
You can't join if
- 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
Sign in and we'll check these against your records.Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Study locations (1)
1 openStanford University
Stanford, California, United States
Study team
Sponsor
Stanford University
Study ID VNS102025
Principal investigator
Anthony D Wagner, PhD
Stanford University
Frequently asked questions
The sponsor hasn't published answers to common questions for this trial.