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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04452981

Electrical Vestibular Nerve Stimulation (VeNS) as a Treatment for Insomnia

Insomnia is known to be one of the most common health concerns in in the general population and has been associated with several health consequences. Medications are known to be effective, and currently serve as the primary treatment for insomnia but their use is limited due to the risk of adverse events. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-1) has also been shown to be effective and safer in the treatment of insomnia but presents its own limitations such as the time, cost, and training required. The relationship between vestibular stimulation and sleep continues to be explored, however its usefulness in the treatment of insomnia is still unknown. Vestibular stimulation itself has been shown to be safe across multiple populations. If vestibular stimulation is shown to be effective in the treatment of insomnia, it could serve as a safer alternative to medications. It could also require less cost, time, and training than CBT-1, providing a treatment option that is not only safe and effective, but broadly available to the general population. Consequently this trial seeks to evaluate the efficacy of non-invasive electrical vestibular nerve stimulation as a method of improving sleep quality and quantity, as compared to a sham control, in patients newly diagnosed with insomnia.

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Key information

Conditions

Insomnia Dyssomnias Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Parasomnias Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic Sleep Disturbance Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders Sleep Wake Disorders

Age range

18 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Signed informed consent
  • Diagnosed insomnia with ISI of 15 or greater at screening
  • Males or females
  • 18-80 years of age inclusive on starting the study
  • Ability and willingness to complete all study visits and procedures; in particular an agreement to engage with trying to use the device on a daily basis
  • Agreement not to use prescription, or over the counter, sleep medications for the duration of the trial
  • Agreement not to use sleep trackers for the duration of the study (e.g sleep app smart watches)
  • Access to Wi-Fi (to connect iPod to internet)

Exclusion criteria

  • History of skin breakdown, eczema or other dermatological condition (e.g. psoriasis) affecting the skin behind the ears (image from participant required).
  • Previous diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS (HIV is known to cause a vestibular neuropathy which would prevent VeNS from working)
  • Medication for insomnia (unless regime stable for last 3 months).
  • A history of stroke or severe head injury (as defined by a head injury that required a craniotomy or endotracheal intubation). (In case this damaged the neurological pathways involved in vestibular stimulation).
  • Presence of permanently implanted battery powered medical device or stimulator (e.g., pacemaker, implanted defibrillator, deep brain stimulator, vagal nerve stimulator etc.).
  • Pregnancy.
  • Previous use of any VeNS device
  • Participation in other clinical trials sponsored by Neurovalens
  • Have a member of the same household who is currently participating in this study.
  • History of vestibular dysfunction or other inner ear disease as indicated by the following screening questions:

Treatment and study plan

VeNS

Device

The VeNS device utilizes a technology called galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) (sometimes termed vestibular nerve stimulation (VeNS)). The device will be placed on the head in a manner analogous to headphones and will deliver a small electrical current to the skin behind the ears, over the mastoid processes. Participants will be advised to use the device at home for 1 hour per day.

Primary outcomes

  1. Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    To evaluate the effect of the VeNS device, relative to control group on participants with insomnia. ISI is a self-report rating scale assessing the severity of insomnia symptoms (range 0-28) with higher scores indicating a more severe insomnia.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of adverse events

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    To evaluate the safety of the VeSTAL device relative to control group, in terms of the occurrence of adverse events.

  2. Quality of life using SF-36 scores

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    To evaluate the effect of the VeNS device, relative to control group, on quality of life. SF-36 is a 36-item short form survey (range 0-100) with higher scores indicating a better quality of life.

  3. Quality of sleep using PSQI

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    To evaluate the effect of the VeNS device, relative to control group, on quality of sleep quantified by change in the PSQI score. The sleep component scores are summed to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 21 with the higher total score indicating worse sleep quality.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Neurovalens Ltd.

Industry

Collaborators

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • University of Ulster

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized, Double Blind Sham Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate The Efficacy of Vestibular Nerve Stimulation (VeNS), Compared to a Sham Control For Treatment Of Insomnia.

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jul 1, 2020
Registry last updated
Jan 16, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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