An interventional study of Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS) in Traumatic Brain Injury, Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Disorders of Consciousness Due to Severe Brain Injury, sponsored by Sima Mofakham. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-22.
Sponsored by Sima Mofakham · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Some patients with severe traumatic brain injury cannot respond at the bedside, yet about 1 in 4 may be aware but unable to show it - a hidden state called cognitive motor dissociation. This study tests a gentle, non-invasive treatment delivered through clips on the left ear that stimulates two nerves at once: the vagus nerve at the inner ear (taVNS) and the trigeminal nerve at the outer ear (taTNS). Each nerve has separately been shown to help people with disorders of consciousness recover, but they have not been combined before. All enrolled patients receive the stimulation for one hour a day, with continuous heart and oxygen monitoring and a pain-protection check used to keep the dose safe. The study measures recovery two ways: the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), scored by clinicians, and SeeMe, an automated camera system that detects tiny command-driven movements the eye cannot see.
This prospective, single-center, open-label, single-arm pilot study enrolls a subcohort of comatose TBI patients from the parent SeeMe study (NCT07560631) whose legally authorized representative consents to a stimulation addendum. Dual-site transcutaneous auricular nerve stimulation is delivered to the left ear: the vagal site (cymba conchae) targets the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, and the trigeminal site (outer ear) targets the auriculotemporal branch - each with distinct, optimized parameters. Mechanistically, vagal afferents project to the nucleus tractus solitarius and the ascending reticular activating system to promote arousal, while trigeminal afferents project via the spinal trigeminal nucleus to thalamus and cortex to enhance thalamocortical connectivity; the dual-site paradigm aims to drive the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loop from two convergent directions. Baseline assessment captures CRS-R, GCS, vital signs, NCS-R, heart-rate variability, and EEG. Daily one-hour sessions include pre/post vitals, NCS-R-guided titration, continuous telemetry, ear-site inspection, and daily CRS-R. In parallel, the SeeMe computer-vision platform quantifies stimulus-evoked facial and hand movements. The course runs 7 consecutive days, extendable to 28 days. Findings will inform a future sham-controlled randomized trial and closed-loop integration with SeeMe.
1,721 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Injuries, Traumatic; 447 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 10 is below the median of 52 across 1,088 interventional studies indexed under Brain Injuries, Traumatic.
Browse Brain Injuries, Traumatic studies →This is the only study on the registry with Sima Mofakham as lead sponsor.
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Experimental: Dual-site auricular stimulation (taVNS + taTNS). All enrolled participants receive active vagal and trigeminal auricular stimulation.
Device: Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS)
DEVICE: Dual-Site Transcutaneous Auricular Nerve Stimulation (taVNS + taTNS). Delivered via ear-clip electrodes on the LEFT ear using the Sparrow Ascent / Sparrow Link tAN System (Spark Biomedical; FDA-cleared K230796), operated as an NSR investigational device. Vagal site (inner ear / cymba conchae): 15 Hz, 250 µs pulse width, 3 mA fixed, duty cycle 5 min on / 10 s off. Trigeminal site (outer ear): 100 Hz, 250 µs pulse width, 3 mA fixed, duty cycle 5 min on / 10 s off. Session: 1 hour/day. Course: 7 consecutive days, extendable to 28 days. Intensity titrated with the Nociception Coma Scale-Revised (NCS-R): step down 0.5 mA if NCS-R \> 4/9, SpO2 ≤ 95%, or HR rises ≥ 20 bpm; continuous cardiac/hemodynamic monitoring with prespecified stopping rules.
Change in Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) Total Score
Change in level of consciousness will be assessed using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score. The outcome will be reported as the within-participant change in total score from baseline to the end of treatment, as scored by a trained assessor. Scores range from 0 to 23, with higher scores indicating better neurobehavioral function and greater recovery of consciousness.
Time frame: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Change in SeeMe-Detected Stimulus-Evoked Voluntary Motor Responses
Change in command-evoked voluntary motor responses will be assessed using the SeeMe automated camera-based detection system. The outcome will be reported as the within-participant change in the percentage of command trials with SeeMe-positive responses from baseline to the end of treatment. Scores range from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating more frequent command-evoked voluntary motor responses. A SeeMe-positive response is defined as a Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic greater than 0.1 and pixel displacement greater than 400, detected reliably in at least 3 of 10 command trials. SeeMe scoring will be automated and performed blinded to stimulation timing.
Time frame: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Number of Participants With Device- or Stimulation-Related Adverse Events
Adverse events attributed to auricular stimulation will be recorded and graded using CTCAE v5.0, including ear-site skin reactions, bradycardia or other arrhythmia, oxygen desaturation, and hemodynamic instability. Events requiring NCS-R-guided dose reduction or meeting prespecified stopping criteria will be reported.
Time frame: Baseline to Day 7, or baseline to Day 28 for participants with extended treatment
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified individual participant data underlying published results will be shared, including CRS-R scores, SeeMe-derived movement metrics, stimulation parameters, and safety data. Data will be available following publication of the primary results. Requests will be reviewed by the study team and require a data use agreement and confirmation of appropriate IRB or ethics approval. Raw facial video will not be shared due to the inherent re-identifiability of facial imagery; derived quantitative movement features will be shared instead.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Analytic code
Time frame: Beginning 12 months after publication of the primary results and ending 5 years following publication.
Access criteria: Access will be granted to qualified investigators whose proposed use has been approved by the study team. Requestors must submit a methodologically sound research proposal and a signed data use agreement, and must provide documentation of IRB or equivalent ethics approval for the proposed analysis. Approved requestors will receive de-identified individual participant data, including CRS-R scores, SeeMe-derived quantitative movement metrics, stimulation parameters, and safety data, together with the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and blank informed consent form. Raw facial video will not be released due to the inherent re-identifiability of facial imagery. Requests should be directed to the principal investigator at sima.mofakham@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
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