Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41813043›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Stimulating amyloid-β clearance in cerebral amyloid angiopathy with low-sodium oxybate and/or non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (Clear-Brain): study protocol for a randomised pre-post trial.

Sanne E Schriemer, Lydiane Hirschler, Ellis S van Etten, Erik W van Zwet, Gert Jan Lammers, Eric J Liebler, Marianne A A van Walderveen, Annelies M Slats, Adriaan C G M van Es, Marcel M Verbeek and 3 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06421532 (A Partial Randomised Clinical Trial Investigating Stimulation of the Glymphatic System by Either Deepening Sleep With Lower-sodium Oxybate or Inhibiting Cortical Spreading Depressions With Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation, or Both, in Patients With Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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.

NCT06421532 phase2enrolling by invitationnot on this map

A Partial Randomised Clinical Trial Investigating Stimulation of the Glymphatic System by Either Deepening Sleep With Lower-sodium Oxybate or Inhibiting Cortical Spreading Depressions With Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation, or Both, in Patients With Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA)

TypeinterventionalSponsorLeiden University Medical CenterRan2025 to 2027Enrolled60ConditionsCerebral Amyloid AngiopathyArmsXYWAV, gammaCore Sapphire
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

13 authors.

Sanne E SchriemerDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands s.e.schriemer@lumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2304-595X
Lydiane HirschlerDepartment of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2379-0861
Ellis S van EttenDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Erik W van ZwetDepartment of Medial Statistics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Gert Jan LammersDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Eric J LieblerNisola Consulting, Liberty, Florida, USA.
Marianne A A van WalderveenDepartment of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Annelies M SlatsSleep Wake Center, Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands.
Adriaan C G M van EsDepartment of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Marcel M VerbeekDepartment of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Matthias J P van OschDepartment of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Marieke J H WermerDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Rolf FronczekDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is caused by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in the cerebrovasculature. The glymphatic system is thought to be involved in the clearance of cerebral waste products, including Aβ. Stimulation of the glymphatic system through enhancing deep sleep with low-sodium oxybate (LXB) or inhibition of cortical spreading depolarisations via non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) could potentially increase clearance of Aβ and hence improve disease course. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will perform a pre-post trial to assess whether treatment with LXB, nVNS or a combination of both interventions can enhance the clearance of Aβ in patients with CAA. A total of 60 participants, 30 with sporadic CAA and 30 with Dutch-type CAA, will be randomly assigned to receive either LXB, nVNS or both interventions, resulting in three groups (20 in each group: LXB, nVNS and both). The study spans 6 months, comprising a 3-month observational phase and a 3-month intervention phase. The primary outcome measure will be the morning levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) before and after the intervention. We will assess possible disease progression with (non-)haemorrhagic imaging markers on 7-Tesla MRI at baseline, before and after intervention, as a secondary outcome. Additionally, the activity of the glymphatic system by means of fluid dynamics will be assessed with CSF-Selective T2-weighted Readout with Acceleration and Mobility encoding (CSF-STREAM) on 7-Tesla MRI. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was reviewed and approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee Leiden The Hague Delft (P23.100) on 8 April 2024. The first participant was enrolled on 27 March 2025. Study results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific conferences. Additionally, study updates and results will be shared with participants via our newsletter twice a year.

trial registrationEU CT number 2023-5 06 128-10-00, Universal Trial Number U1111-1295-1113, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06421532.

Indexed as

Amyloid beta-PeptidesCerebral Amyloid AngiopathyVagus Nerve StimulationBrainFemaleGlymphatic SystemHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAmyloid beta-PeptidesCerebral HemorrhageMagnetic resonance imagingRandomized Controlled TrialSLEEP MEDICINE

Identifiers

PMID41813043
PMCPMC12983863

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

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.