A Clinical Evaluation of Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Temper Outbursts in People With PWS

Last updated: May 5, 2025
Sponsor: Foundation for Prader-Willi Research
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

3

Condition

Hypogonadism

Severe Short Stature

Treatment

tVNS, intermittent stimulation

tVNS, continuous stimulation

Clinical Study ID

NCT06144645
FPWR-VNS-R-3-01
  • Ages 10-40
  • All Genders

Study Summary

The goal of the VNS4PWS clinical study is to test the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) treatment in people with PWS.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Genetically proven diagnosis of PWS.

  2. Age 10-40 years.

  3. History in the last six months of an average of at least two temper outbursts perweek.

  4. Able to comply with requirements of study and provide consent or assent; If consentis to be provided by the participant's guardian, same applies to the guardian.

  5. Concomitant use of psychiatric medication is allowed; participant must be on astable dose 90 days prior to screening with no plans for dose modification duringthe course of the study.

  6. Concomitant use of psychotherapy/counseling is allowed. Therapies for mental healthor behavior challenges, including applied behavior analysis (ABA) are also allowed;however, participant must be on a stable regimen 90 days prior to screening with noplans for modification during the course of the study.

  7. Living with family or in another setting with family members or staff willing tosupport the participant and the required data collection.

  8. Agree to share tVNS patient application compliance and daily temper outburst datawith the sponsor.

  9. Access to cellular data or Wi-Fi.

  10. Participant and caregiver speak American English as first language or are fluent inAmerican English.

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Positive pregnancy test at screening, baseline, or at any point in the study.

  2. Evidence of active or recent unstable serious mental illness, including, psychosis,mania, severe depression, or suicidality.

  3. Moved to present residential placement in last three months or less.

  4. Likely move in residential placement during the course of the study.

  5. Cardiac abnormalities including medically documented history of cardiac disease orcardiac arrhythmia, documented resting heart rate ≤ 50 beats per minute (BPM); orhistory of 2° type 2 or 3° heart block on electrocardiogram (ECG).

  6. Evidence of clinically significant abnormalities of blood, liver, or kidney functionfrom clinical safety laboratory assessments as determined by the Site Investigator.

  7. History of blood clot, pulmonary embolism, or deep vein thrombosis.

  8. Prior diagnosis of epilepsy or currently active seizures.

  9. Current enrollment in the active phase of different clinical trial or interventionalstudy.

  10. Current use of hearing aids or implantable medical devices including implanted vagusnerve stimulation (iVNS) device, implanted cardiac pacemaker, implanted cardiacdefibrillator, cochlear implants, cerebral shunt or cardiac implantable electricaldevices.

  11. Presence of dermal abnormalities at the stimulation site that would interfere withthe ability of the tVNS device to function properly.

  12. Presence of an allergy to titanium, titanium-iridium, thermoplastic elastomers,perfluoroethylene propylene, or polyurethane elastomers, or components of /preservatives present in the device electrode cream (Ceteareth-20, Propylene Glycol,Bentonite, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin).

  13. Severe, untreated sleep apnea, as self-reported by subject or caregiver or suspectedby Site Investigator.

  14. Subject is, in the opinion of the Investigator, not suitable to participate in thestudy.

Study Design

Total Participants: 102
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: tVNS, intermittent stimulation
Phase: 3
Study Start date:
January 08, 2024
Estimated Completion Date:
December 01, 2027

Study Description

The main questions the VNS4PWS study seeks to answer are: (1) is tVNS treatment safe in people with PWS, (2) is tVNS treatment acceptable to people with PWS, and (3) is tVNS an effective treatment to reduce temper outbursts in people with PWS. Participants will wear the tVNS device daily for 4 hours over a period of 9 months. Two different doses of tVNS will be compared. During the final three months of the trial, the effect of stopping treatment will be studied. After the first year of the study, participants will have the opportunity to continue on to a 1-year open label extension period during which active tVNS treatment will be resumed.

Connect with a study center

  • Stanford University

    Palo Alto, California 94304
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Rady Children's Hospital San Diego

    San Diego, California 92123
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Children's Hospital Colorado

    Aurora, Colorado 80045
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Emory University

    Atlanta, Georgia 30322
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Rare Disease Research

    Atlanta, Georgia 30329
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Maryland 21205
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Children's Mercy Kansas City

    Kansas City, Missouri 64108
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine

    Bronx, New York 10461
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Maimonides Medical Center

    Brooklyn, New York 11219
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • NYU Langone Health

    Garden City, New York 11530
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Nationwide Children's Hospital

    Columbus, Ohio 43205
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center

    Nashville, Tennessee 37203
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Christus Children'S

    San Antonio, Texas 78207
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • University of Virginia

    Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

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