Ear Nerve Stimulation to Reduce Depression After Spinal Cord Injury

This trial is testing a treatment called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which uses a small device to deliver gentle electrical stimulation to a specific part of your ear. The goal is to activate your vagus nerve — a major nerve in your body — to reduce inflammation and improve depression symptoms in people with spinal cord injury. Researchers believe this simple, non-invasive approach may work where other treatments fall short.

Depression and chronic inflammation are very common after spinal cord injury, and they often go hand in hand. While diet and exercise can help, they're hard to stick with long-term. This treatment was chosen because it's easy to use at home, low-cost, and has shown promise in reducing inflammation and depression in other chronic conditions — but it hasn't been tested yet in people with spinal cord injury.