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Vagus NerveEvidence & Dosage

The main parasympathetic nerve — tone, exercises, transcutaneous stimulation.

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
296
With abstract
33
Meta / Systematic / RCT
3
Highly cited
9
Publication years
2004–2026

Vagus Nerve in the context of Mental

This topic is part of our "Mental" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Vagus Nerve

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in healthy humans reduces sympathetic nerve activity.

    Brain Stimul2014n=48Clinical Trial159 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is currently used to treat refractory epilepsy and is being investigated as a potential therapy for a range of conditions, including heart failure, tinnitus, obesity and Alzheimer's disease.…

  2. TREAT AF (Transcutaneous Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Atrial Fibrillation): A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    JACC Clin Electrophysiol2020n=53RCT127 influential citations

    OBJECTIVES: This study was a sham-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial to examine the effect of chronic low level tragus stimulation (LLTS) in patients with paroxysmal AF. BACKGROUND: Low-level transcutaneous electrical…

  3. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation augments postprandial inhibition of ghrelin.

    Physiol Rep2022n=16Study24 influential citations

    Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) facilitates weight loss in animals and patients treated with VNS for depression or epilepsy. Likewise, chronic transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) reduces weight gain and improves glucose tolerance in Zucker…

  4. Acupuncture at the auricular branch of the vagus nerve enhances heart rate variability in humans: An exploratory study.

    Heart Rhythm O22020n=24Study14 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Recent animal and human studies have shown antiarrhythmic effects inhibiting inducibility of atrial fibrillation through low-level transcutaneous electrical stimulation at the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN).…

  5. Understanding nerve–tumor interactions: From basic biology to therapeutic innovation

    Genes & Diseases20261 influential citations

    The study of nerve-tumor interactions has emerged as a rapidly advancing and interdisciplinary field with profound implications for understanding cancer progression, prognosis, and therapeutic innovation. While this area holds significant…

  6. Effect and neurophysiological mechanisms of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for misophonia (taVNS-MISO): a study protocol for a single-centre double-blind randomised sham-controlled trial.

    BMJ open2026n=60C

    Misophonia is a newly recognised sound sensitivity disorder with clinically significant symptoms affecting up to 18% of the population. It is characterised by extreme negative reactions to specific sounds which are often repetitive and…

  7. Unveiling the Glial Cell Mechanisms Underlying Vagus Nerve StimulationInduced Neuroprotection After Ischemic Stroke.

    Current neuropharmacology2026E

    Ischemic stroke, one of the most common causes of disability due to cerebrovascular disease, is characterized by severe immune-inflammatory reactions and massive cell death resulting from ischemia-induced injury. Glial cells, such as…

  8. Vagal dopaminergic afferents link interoception to trigeminal pain modulation.

    bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026E

    The vagus nerve conveys interoceptive information, yet how specific vagal sensory afferents regulate pain remains unclear. Here, we tested whether vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) modulates temporomandibular disorder (TMD)-related pain. In a…

  9. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for postoperative pain: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    BMJ open2026E

    Postoperative pain is common after surgery, with a high incidence and risk of becoming chronic. Current multimodal analgesia has drawbacks, including limited efficacy from single agents and opioid side effects and addiction risk. These…

  10. At-Home Delivery of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Task-Specific Training Improves Performance of High-Priority Activities in Persons With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury or Stroke.

    American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation2026B

    Vagus nerve stimulation during rehabilitative training can improve motor function years after stroke or spinal cord injury. This open-label study examined whether vagus nerve stimulation paired with participant-selected activities of daily…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using a TENS machine and modified surface electrodes (200 μs, 30 Hz) • Low-level transcutaneous electrical vagus nerve stimulation (LLTS) using ear clip attached to tragus (20 Hz, pulse width 200 μs, 1 mA below discomfort threshold; 1 hour daily) • Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), left ear (10 Hz, 300 µs, 2.0-2.5 mA, 30 min)
Which population does the evidence apply to?
Most studies investigated: healthy; patient.
Are there safety considerations for Vagus Nerve?
• Not reported. • No device-related side effects were observed. • No adverse events related to the use of the device were reported. • Pacemaker interaction was tested before enrollment and none was observed.

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