Purpose

Transcutaneous Auricular Neurostimulation (tAN) will be administered to women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and perimenopause. The investigators will examine whether tAN improves symptomology by collecting self-report data before the intervention, during the intervention, and following the intervention.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 55 Years
Eligible Sex
Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Assigned female at birth - Age 18 to 45 - Naturally cycling - Regularly occurring menstrual cycle - Must identify as having PMS or PMDD - Reliable ability to complete online study surveys

Exclusion Criteria

  • Using hormonal birth control - Pregnant or lactating/breastfeeding - History of seizures - Implanted devices - Current or previous diagnosis of any heart conditions - Abnormal ear anatomy - Non-removable piercings on the ear - Recent ear infection - Taking SSRIs - Taking steroids - Taking hormone therapy - If the participant anticipates starting or stopping prescription medications during the study period - Participant has a history of neurologic diseases (i.e. stroke, brain tumor, cerebrovascular, etc.) - Participant has a history traumatic brain injury within the past 12 months - Must not have any other mental illness or mood disorder Perimenopause Study: Inclusion Criteria: - Assigned female at birth. - Age 40 to 55 - Must have newly variable menstrual cycles or report identifying as perimenopausal - Reliable ability to complete online study surveys Exclusion Criteria: - Using hormonal birth control - Pregnant or lactating/breastfeeding - History of seizures - Implanted devices - Current or previous diagnosis of any heart conditions - Abnormal ear anatomy - Non-removable piercings on the ear - Recent ear infection - Taking SSRIs - Taking steroids - Taking hormone therapy - If the participant anticipates starting or stopping prescription medications during the study period. - Participant has a history of neurologic diseases (i.e. stroke, brain tumor, cerebrovascular, etc.) - Participant has a history traumatic brain injury within the past 12 months - have a hysterectomy In both studies we will confirm that participants are symptomatic shortly following enrollment.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
tAN treatment
For perimenopausal women: tAN administration 2 hours daily. For PMS/PMDD women: tAN administration 2 hours daily during the luteal phase.
  • Device: transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN)
    Device: Sparrow Link. The Sparrow Link will be using the components of the Sparrow Ascent device: (FDA-cleared K230796) a wearable, battery-operated, neurostimulation system designed to transcutaneously stimulate nerves on and/or around the auricle. This device will stimulate the auriculotemporal nerve (ATN) and the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN)
    Other names:
    • Sparrow Link

Recruiting Locations

Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas 76109
Contact:
Sarah E Hill, PhD
817-257-6424
s.e.hill@tcu.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Texas Christian University

Study Contact

Sarah E Hill, PhD
817-257-6424
s.e.hill@tcu.edu

Detailed Description

The PMS/PMDD study will last four menstrual cycles, for an average of four months in length. The first cycle will be baseline (pre-treatment), the next two cycles will be intervention (treatment), and one final cycle will be follow-up (post-treatment). The perimenopause study will last three months. The first month will be baseline (pre-treatment), the next month will be intervention (treatment), and the final month will be follow-up (post-treatment).

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.