Ear nerve stimulation for veterans with fibromyalgia
Official title: Auricular Neuromodulation in Veterans with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Study
Funded at Veterans Health Administration · NIH-11219224 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This tests whether a small electrical device placed on the ear can reduce pain and improve daily function for veterans with fibromyalgia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Decatur, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX005050-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11219224 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are veterans diagnosed with fibromyalgia who can attend visits at the VA site and agree to undergo device treatment, heart rate monitoring, and brain imaging.
✕Less likely to help
People without fibromyalgia, non-veterans, or those who cannot undergo MRI or the nerve stimulation procedure are unlikely to qualify or benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
You would be a veteran with fibromyalgia who is randomly assigned to get either a real ear nerve stimulation device or a sham (placebo) device, and neither you nor the study team treating you will know which one you received. Treatment effects will be tracked over time using pain and function measures, heart rate variability to look at vagal (autonomic) changes, and brain imaging (resting-state fMRI) as a biomarker. The team previously ran a small feasibility VA study that showed trends toward sustained pain and function benefits, so this larger, double-blind, sham-controlled trial will test those findings more rigorously. Follow-up continues for weeks after treatment to see how long any benefits last.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a non-drug way to reduce fibromyalgia pain and improve function, potentially lowering reliance on opioids.
How similar studies have gone: Small, earlier VA-funded work found promising trends and lasting improvements up to 12 weeks with auricular PENFS that correlated with brain connectivity changes, but larger randomized sham-controlled evidence is still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Health Administration
Decatur, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Woodbury, Anna — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Woodbury, Anna
Related research
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Auricular nerve stimulation for fibromyalgia in veterans
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.