NCT06433583

Pilot Study on the Acceptability of Auricular Vagus Nerve Neurostimulation in Adolescents

Pilot Study on the Acceptability of Auricular Vagus Nerve Neurostimulation for the Prevention of Non-suicidal Self-injury Recurrence in Adolescents

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 22 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Régional Metz-Thionville · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 13 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are acts defined by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5) as intentional and deliberate, occurring outside a psychotic state and directly causing moderate injury. Their international prevalence is between 13 and 17% in adolescents and young adults, and has recently increased with the COVID-19 health crisis, with the prevalence of NSSI rising to 40% in adolescents. Access to psychiatrists is declining. Drug solutions, meanwhile, lack scientific proof in this indication. The autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis are involved in the human response to experimentally-induced pain, as well as in stress regulation, notably via control of cortisol secretion. Abnormally low levels of the latter hormone have been detected in persons with NSSI disorder. Transcutaneous neurostimulation of the atrial vagus nerve (taVNS) has been studied for some ten years. The afferent branches of the vagus nerve stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, leading to the production of cortisol by the adrenals. The hypothesis of this research is that stimulation of the vagus nerve by taVNS would improve the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis in patients with NSSI, and thus reduce the frequency of acting out. Although taVNS is an easy-to-access technique that patients can implement at home, the question of adherence to this treatment in adolescents has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this pilot study is to assess whether adolescents with NSSI will adhere to taVNS treatment.

Conditions

• Psychiatric Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation	The use of TENS ECO PLUS and the vagus nerve ear electrode medical devices for transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) everyday for 10 minutes twice a day or 20 minutes for 8 successive weeks. Patients are included at week 0, use taVNS between week 2 and 10, and are followed up until week 22. Patient adherence: percentage of patients performing 20 minutes of daily stimulation on at least 5 days a week for at least 6 cumulative weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-11-28
• Primary completion: 2027-05-28
• Completion: 2027-05-28
• First posted: 2024-05-29
• Last updated: 2024-12-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: France