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Vagus Nerve StimulationEvidence & Dosage

Breathing, HRV, transcutaneous stimulation, and anxiety.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
1,000
With abstract
50
Meta / Systematic / RCT
158
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1990–2026

Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the context of Mental

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Top studies on Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Sci Rep2022n=632Meta-Analysis161 influential citations

    Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been investigated as a novel neuromodulation tool. Although taVNS is generally considered safe with only mild and transient adverse effects (AEs), those specifically caused by…

  2. 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.…

  3. Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy: a meta-analysis of efficacy and predictors of response.

    J Neurosurg2011n=332Meta-Analysis138 influential citations

    Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was approved by the US FDA in 1997 as an adjunctive treatment for medically refractory epilepsy. It is considered for use in patients who are poor candidates for resection or those in whom resection has…

  4. 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…

  5. Assessment of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Interventions for Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

    JAMA Psychiatry2022n=221Meta-Analysis124 influential citations

    <h4>Importance</h4>Negative symptoms have a detrimental impact on functional outcomes and quality of life in people with schizophrenia, and few therapeutic options are considered effective for this symptomatic dimension. Studies have…

    Finding: In this network meta-analysis, excitatory NIBS protocols over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were associated with significantly large improvements in the severity of negative symptoms.

  6. Neurostimulation in people with drug-resistant epilepsy: Systematic review and meta-analysis from the ILAE Surgical Therapies Commission.

    Epilepsia2022n=30Meta-Analysis109 influential citations

    Objective Summarize the current evidence on efficacy and tolerability of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), responsive neurostimulation (RNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) through a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods We followed…

    Finding: In the open-label extension studies, RNS produced median seizure reductions that increased over time to 53% at 2 years, 66% at 5 years, and 75% at 9 years.

  7. Brain stimulation and other biological non-pharmacological interventions in mental disorders: An umbrella review.

    Neurosci Biobehav Rev2022n=102Systematic Review98 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>The degree of efficacy, safety, quality, and certainty of meta-analytic evidence of biological non-pharmacological treatments in mental disorders is unclear.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted an umbrella review…

  8. Acute Treatments for Episodic Migraine in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

    JAMA2021n=28,803Meta-Analysis97 influential citations

    <h4>Importance</h4>Migraine is common and can be associated with significant morbidity, and several treatment options exist for acute therapy.<h4>Objective</h4>To evaluate the benefits and harms associated with acute treatments for…

    Finding: In adults with episodic migraine, triptans and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were associated with reduced pain at 2 hours and 1 day compared with placebo.

  9. A systematic review and meta-analysis of heart rate variability in epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs.

    Epilepsia2012n=30meta96 influential citations

    PURPOSE: Epilepsy is associated with near-fatal and fatal arrhythmias, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is partly related to cardiac events. Dysfunction of the autonomous nervous system causes arrhythmias and, although…

    Finding: In this meta-analysis, epilepsy patients had significantly lower high-frequency heart rate variability than controls.

  10. Does transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation affect vagally mediated heart rate variability? A living and interactive Bayesian meta-analysis.

    Psychophysiology2021n=16Meta-Analysis81 influential citations

    Non‐invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), have considerable potential for clinical use. Beneficial effects of taVNS have been demonstrated on symptoms in patients with…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) (Not reported) • Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using a TENS machine and modified surface electrodes (200 μs, 30 Hz) • Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) (Not reported)
Which population does the evidence apply to?
Most studies investigated: healthy; patient.
Are there safety considerations for Vagus Nerve Stimulation?
• Ear pain, headache, and tingling were the most frequently reported adverse events. • No causal relationship between taVNS and severe adverse events was identified. • Overall adverse event incidence was 12.84 per 100,000 person-minutes-days of stimulation. • Not reported.

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