Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Poor Weight-Loss Response to Incretin Receptor Agonists
Recruiting · NCT07619989 · Interventional (participants receive a specific treatment) · Lead sponsor: The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov →Interventions studied
What this trial is about
This is a single-center, randomized, participant-blinded, sham-controlled trial designed to evaluate the adjunctive effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in overweight or obese patients who show a suboptimal weight-loss response to incretin receptor agonist therapy. A total of 24 participants will be randomly assigned to receive either taVNS plus tirzepatide 5 mg or sham stimulation plus tirzepatide 5 mg for 12 weeks. The primary objective is to compare the percent change in body weight from baseline to week 12 between the two groups.
Who can take part
Inclusion criteria
- Individuals with obesity, or overweight accompanied by at least one weight-related comorbidity (e.g., hypertension or fatty liver disease), who have been receiving tirzepatide therapy for at least 12 weeks and have achieved ≤10% weight loss during treatment;
- Willingness to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
- Presence of diseases that may substantially affect body weight homeostasis, including Cushing's syndrome, uncontrolled thyroid disease (thyroid-stimulating hormone \>6.0 mIU/L or \<0.4 mIU/L), malignancy, or similar conditions;
- Use within the past 3 months of medications, other than incretin receptor agonists, that may significantly affect body weight, including glucocorticoids and antipsychotic agents;
- Skin infection or damage involving the auricular area;
- Women planning pregnancy in the near future;
- Contraindications to MRI, such as metallic prostheses or claustrophobia;
- Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus; Inability to complete the 12-week intervention period for practical reasons, such as frequent business travel or planned travel.
Where it is running
1 location listed.
- Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School - Nanjing, Jiangsu, China