Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Myelopathy

Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Improve Post-operative Outcomes of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07660250

Enrollment

Registered

2026-06-22

Start date

2026-04-14

Completion date

2028-05-01

Last updated

2026-06-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

Keywords

degenerative cervical myelopathy, myelopathy, cervical myelopathy, degenerative myelopathy, vagus nerve, vagus nerve stimulation, ear stimulation

Brief summary

The objective of this study is to generate preliminary data to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) to improve post-operative outcomes of moderate to severe degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM)

Interventions

DEVICEVagus nerve stimulation (taVNS)

Vagus nerve stimulation - clip is attached to ear

DEVICESham Stimulation

Clip will be attached to the ear, but no stimulation will be given.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years of age or older * Moderate or severe degenerative cervical myelopathy according to the mJOA * Decompression surgery planned

Exclusion criteria

* • Pregnancy * Electrically active implants (e.g. pacemaker) * Known diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, concomitant thoracic and/or lumbar stenosis, spine tumor, HIV-related myelopathy * Ongoing cancer therapy * Ongoing use of immunomodulating or suppressive medication * Sustained bradycardia with a heartrate \<50 beats per minute for \> 5 minutes following admission. * Prior cervical spine surgery

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
mJOA - Modified Japanese Orthopedics Association	through study completion, an average of 1 year	Measures neurological impairment in degenerative cervical myelopathy

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Neck Disability Index (NDI)	through study completion, an average of 1 year	NDI measures activity limitations associated with neck pain

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTLinda Koester, BS

koesterl@wustl.edu314-362-7368

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORWilson Z Ray, MD

Washington University School of Medicine

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 23, 2026