Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation for consciousness recovery in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (TAVREC): study protocol for a multicenter, triple-blind, randomized controlled trial in China.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC) are a catastrophic condition following brain injury with few therapeutic options. Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS), a safe, non-invasive intervention modulating thalamo-cortical connectivity and brain function, is a possible treatment option of pDoC. We developed a protocol for a randomised controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of taVNS on consciousness recovery in patients with pDoC (TAVREC).

Methods and analysis

The TAVREC programme is a multicentre, triple-blind, randomised controlled trial with 4 weeks intervention followed by 4 weeks follow-up period. A minimum number of 116 eligible pDoC patients will be recruited and randomly receive either: (1) conventional therapy plus taVNS (3

SUBMITTER: Zhou LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11149147 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature