Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41174737›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2025

Electrical vestibular stimulation to improve balance in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Jordan A King, Noah Walters, Nadine Rodrigues, Jenna Al Bastami, Niki Mehri, Adrian Chan, Madison Spencer, Sadie Clark, Evan Ferrier, Serena L Orr and 5 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06846047 (Therapeutic Effects of Electrical Vestibular Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06846047 narecruitingnot on this map

Therapeutic Effects of Electrical Vestibular Stimulation (EVS) on Balance and Gait

TypeinterventionalSponsorNeursantys IncRan2025 to 2027Enrolled500ConditionsVestibulopathyArmselectrical vestibular stimulation (EVS), Sham Comparator
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Jordan A KingDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Noah WaltersFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Nadine RodriguesFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Jenna Al BastamiFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Niki MehriFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Adrian ChanFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Madison SpencerFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Sadie ClarkFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Evan FerrierFaculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Serena L OrrHotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Jocelyn RempelCentre for Health and Innovation in Aging, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Andreas HauensteinNeursantys, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA.
Joshua M RoperNeursantys, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA.
John D RalstonNeursantys, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, USA.
Ryan M PetersDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. ryan.peters1@ucalgary.ca.

Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada RGPIN-2020-06068
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFalls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations among older adults, often linked to vestibular dysfunction. While vestibular rehabilitation therapy is a standard intervention, designed to compensate for vestibular impairment with proprioceptive and visual cues, potential cumulative effects of noisy Electrical Vestibular Stimulation (nEVS) on balance improvement in older adults are not well understood.

objectiveThis study evaluated the efficacy of cumulative nEVS dosing in improving static balance, its potential mechanisms, and clinical significance.

methodsA single-blind, pilot randomized controlled trial enrolled 40 older adults (mean age: 77.7 ± 11.8 years). Participants were randomly assigned to a Stimulation group (nEVS intervention) or Sham group. The nEVS regimen included low-amplitude wideband stimulation (± 0.35 mA, 0.001-300 Hz) for 20 min, three times weekly for six weeks. Balance performance was assessed immediately before and after nEVS using a head-mounted sensor to measure physiological vibration acceleration ('Phybrata') power as a measure of postural stability in four conditions: Floor Eyes Open, Floor Eyes Closed, Foam Eyes Open, and Foam Eyes Closed. Follow-ups occurred at 3 months and 6 months post-intervention.

resultsThe Stimulation group exhibited significant and sustained reductions in Phybrata power with improvements observed as early as Session 3 and persisting through 6 months in Foam EC. Additionally, the Sham group demonstrated smaller reductions in Phybrata power, potentially reflecting a learning effect.

conclusionnEVS may be a safe and effective intervention for improving balance in older adults. Its benefits in addressing age-related deficits in balance and sensory integration highlight its potential for fall prevention and rehabilitation. This study was retrospectively registered as a clinical trial on February 25, 2025 (NCT06846047).

Indexed as

Electric Stimulation TherapyPostural BalanceVestibular DiseasesVestibule, LabyrinthAccidental FallsAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsSingle-Blind MethodAgingBalance controlBalance therapyElectrical vestibular stimulationGalvanic vestibular stimulationPhybrata powerPostural stabilityVestibular systemVestibular therapy

Identifiers

PMID41174737
PMCPMC12577125

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.