---
title: Home neck stimulation improves walking
nct_id: NCT06562569
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06562569"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06562569"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:08:44.616Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Home neck stimulation improves walking

**Goal (in five words):** Home neck stimulation improves walking

**Official Title:** Stimulating the Vagus Nerve to Improve Gait in Veterans With Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT06562569](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06562569)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** VA Office of Research and Development
- **Target Enrollment:** 40 participants
- **Start Date:** 2026-03-01
- **Completion Date:** 2027-03-01
- **Conditions:** Parkinson's Disease
- **Interventions:** non-invasive cervical vagal nerve stimulation ncVNS
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

They're testing whether gentle electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce freezing of gait and improve walking and balance in veterans with Parkinson's. A small, non-invasive device is placed on the side of the neck and delivers short electrical pulses through the skin to activate vagal pathways that influence motor control, attention, and balance, it is used alongside usual Parkinson's medications rather than replacing levodopa and participants must stay on stable meds. Eligible volunteers are age 50 to 88, have Parkinson's at Hoehn and Yahr stages 2 or 3, report freezing of gait, and can walk for two minutes without an assistive device, with meds stable for at least four weeks. People with serious heart or carotid disease, implanted metal or devices such as DBS, recent spine or leg surgery, recent seizures or syncope, or who take certain medicines like anticholinergics or cholinesterase inhibitors are excluded.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Maximum age:** 88 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Parkinson's disease, as diagnosis by a VA neurologist
* HY stages 2-3
* Self-report Freezing of Gait
* Able to ambulate for 2-min without an assistive device
* Parkinson's disease medications are stable for 4-weeks and expected to be on stable medications for duration of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Lack of decision-making capacity
* Prescribed centrally acting anticholinergics (e.g., amitriptyline) or cholinesterase inhibitors
* Musculoskeletal or additional neurological conditions that negatively impact gait and balance
* Spine or LE surgery within the past year
* Known or suspected:

  * severe atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
  * severe carotid artery disease
  * congestive heart failure
  * known severe coronary artery disease or prior myocardial infarction
* Abnormal baseline electrocardiogram within last year
* Previous vagotomy
* Implanted metal cervical spine hardware, other metallic implants or implantable medical devices such as DBS
* History of syncope or seizures (within the last 2 years)
```

## Locations (1)

- Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL, Hines, Illinois, United States _(41.8536, -87.8395)_
  - Sadie Walker, OTR — (CONTACT) — ((70) 964-3805 — sadie.walker@va.gov
  - Alexandria N Umbarger, BS — (CONTACT) — (708) 998-8213 — alexandria.umbarger@va.gov
  - Sandra L. Kletzel, PhD BA — (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

## Central Contacts

- Sandra L Kletzel, PhD BA — (CONTACT) — (708) 202-5735 — Sandra.Kletzel@va.gov
- Alexandria N Umbarger, BS — (CONTACT) — (708) 998-8213 — alexandria.umbarger@va.gov

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06562569*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06562569*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06562569*