Testing an ear stimulation device for Parkinson's disease symptoms

This trial is testing the EarStim System, a wearable device that gently stimulates specific nerve zones in your ear to help manage Parkinson's disease motor symptoms. The device is non-invasive—you simply wear it on your ear—and early research suggests it may help reduce symptoms like tremor, stiffness, and slow movement, especially during times when your regular Parkinson's medications are wearing off. This study will evaluate whether the treatment is safe and actually works for people experiencing these wearing-off periods.

Many people with Parkinson's disease take levodopa medication for years, and over time they experience "wearing-off" periods where symptoms return between doses—this is a common and difficult problem. While deep brain surgery can help some symptoms, it doesn't work well for balance and walking problems, and not everyone can have surgery. This trial explores whether stimulating nerves in the ear could be a simpler, non-invasive way to help control motor symptoms and reduce the impact of medication wearing-off.