NCT06954844Enrolling by invitation
tVNS and Obesity-related Mechanisms
tVNS to Provide Mechanistic Insights Into the Relationship Between Systemic Inflammation and Altered Motivation and Mood in Healthy Individuals Who Are Overweight or Obese
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 2 May 2025 · Not updated for over 12 months - ask the site whether it is still open
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The overarching goal of the project is to assess whether transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) induced reduction of central and peripheral inflammation is associated with tVNS induced changes in mood and motivation in a sample of healthy participants with overweight and obesity.
- Status (registry)
- Enrolling by invitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 60 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 21 Mar 2025
- Start date
- Apr 2025
- Primary completion date
- Mar 2027
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bonn
- Diseases
- Obesity
- NCT number
- NCT06954844
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 60
- From Apr 2025 to the primary completion date, Mar 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- Following diagnosis within 12 months before start of experiment: obsessive compulsive disorder, somatic symptom disorder, eating disorder
- Considerable weight change (\>10%) within the last 6 months before the experiment
- Anti-inflammatory medication currently or in the last 3 month
- Contraindications for MRI (e.g., metal implants, claustrophobia)
- active implants (e.g., pacemaker), cerebral shunt
Other illness
- Current or past diagnosis of brain injury/surgery or neurological condition with permanent effects, epilepsy, stroke, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe substance use disorder, heart disease that precludes use of tVNS, diabetes (type 1 or 2), chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, etc.)
- Medication or Electroconvulsive therapy to treat a mental, metabolic, or neurological disorder (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, Glucagon-like Peptide-1 agonists) currently or in the last 3 months (hormone treatments that normalize function are not excluded)
Other
- Elevated BMI is due to fat-free mass (e.g., in athletes)
- Contraindications for tVNS (e.g., piercings, sore or diseased skin areas on the outer right ear)
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Who the study is looking for
- Between 18 and 40 years of age
- BMI between 27 and 35.0 kg/m2
- Legally valid declaration of consent
Age in the registry: 18 years to 40 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Bonn | Germany | Unknown status |
Related publications
- tVNS and obesity-related inflammation: a prospective sham-controlled randomized crossover study protocol.BMC Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42552546
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.