NurivaApply to participate

Pilot cohort — applications open

Cravings start in the brain. So does the off switch.

We're recruiting a small cohort to test our taVNS protocol for craving reduction. Six to eight weeks. Self-reported outcomes. Apply if you'd like to be considered.

Apply to participateRead the protocol
[Hero device shot — ear three-quarter, soft daylight]

Willpower isn't broken. The wiring is.

Cravings aren't generated by a failure of discipline. They're generated by the gut-brain axis — a continuous signaling loop between the digestive system and the brain, in which the vagus nerve is the primary conduit. When that loop is dysregulated, the brain receives signals to seek food that aren't actually about hunger.

Most interventions work downstream of this. Diets ask you to override the signals. Apps ask you to count them. Even GLP-1s act on the satiety pathway after the craving has already formed. Nuriva is built on a simpler premise: to change the output, change the input. Stimulate the nerve directly, and the loop quiets.

How it works.

A 0.5 mA current at the cymba conchae travels along the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, synapses at the nucleus tractus solitarius, and modulates downstream appetite and reward circuits.

25 Hz · 250 µs · 0.5 mA010203
Fig. 1 — Auricular branch of the vagus nerve, sagittal view
  1. 01

    Cymba conchae stimulation

    The upper inner ridge of the outer ear, where the auricular branch of the vagus nerve is reachable through skin.

  2. 02

    Nucleus tractus solitarius

    The brainstem hub that receives vagal input.

  3. 03

    Hypothalamus and reward circuits

    Appetite regulation and dopaminergic reward pathways downstream.

What participation looks like.

Week 0

Onboarding

You receive a Nuriva device and the companion app. We send a baseline self-report survey on cravings frequency, intensity, and triggers.

Weeks 1–6

Daily sessions

Fifteen minutes a day, ear-worn, at a time of your choosing. The app logs adherence and prompts brief end-of-day questions.

Week 4 and Week 8

Check-ins

Repeat self-report surveys. Optional 20-minute interview with the team.

After

Findings shared

You keep the device. We share aggregate cohort findings with all participants.

Total time commitment: about 15 minutes a day plus ~30 minutes total in surveys over eight weeks.

Selected research.

  1. 01

    Investigating the modulation of gastric sensations and disposition toward food with taVNS.

    Psychophysiology, 2024 — Salaris & Azevedo show taVNS shifts gastric sensations and food-related dispositions in healthy adults.

  2. 02

    Vagus nerve stimulation reduces body weight and fat mass in rats.

    PLOS ONE, 2012 — Banni et al. report chronic VNS produced significant reductions in body weight and fat mass versus sham controls.

  3. 03

    Vagal signaling and the somatic marker hypothesis: the effect of transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation on delay discounting is modulated by positive mood.

    International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2019 — Steenbergen et al. find taVNS modulates delay discounting, a marker of impulsive choice, in interaction with mood.

  4. 04

    The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems.

    Annals of Gastroenterology, 2015 — Carabotti et al. review the bidirectional vagal communication between gut microbiota and the central nervous system.

  5. 05

    The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on HRV in healthy young people.

    Neuroscience Letters, 2022 — taVNS produced measurable shifts in heart rate variability, a marker of parasympathetic (self-regulatory) tone.

  6. 06

    Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation normalizes food liking and improves liking ratings in depression.

    PubMed (2025, NIH ID 41110254) — non-invasive VNS shifted hedonic food-liking responses, supporting a vagal route for craving modulation.

Nuriva is an investigational wellness device. The pilot is a self-report study, not a clinical trial. Findings are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Not a product launch.

Nuriva is not yet for sale. There is no preorder.

Not a clinical trial.

This is a self-report pilot, not an IRB-supervised study.

Not a treatment.

Nuriva is not a substitute for medical care or prescribed therapies.

Who we're recruiting.

You may be a fit if…

  • You experience frequent food cravings
  • You're between 25 and 60
  • You're comfortable wearing a small device on your ear daily
  • You're willing to complete short surveys
  • You can commit to six to eight weeks

This pilot is not for you if…

  • You have a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted electronic device
  • You have a history of seizures or vagal nerve damage
  • You are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • You are currently being treated for an eating disorder
  • You cannot commit to the full protocol

If you're unsure, apply anyway and let us screen.

Questions.

Apply to participate.

We read every application. We'll be in touch within two weeks if you're a fit for the cohort.

Free to participate. We provide the device. You keep it.

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