ReviewGut2013
The vagal innervation of the gut and immune homeostasis.
Review in Gut, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 149 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
149 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 261 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potential application of brain-gut axis-based treatments in Long COVID and ME/CFS: a case-based systematic review.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation targets the brain-gut axis to treat functional dyspepsia: a scoping review of clinical evidence and mechanistic research.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Ameliorating effects and mechanisms of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation on abdominal pain and constipation.JCI insight · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Open-label pilot study: Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation improves symptoms and gastric emptying in patients with idiopathic gastroparesis.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2020Trial
- The effect of pyridostigmine on small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and plasma inflammatory biomarkers in HIV-associated autonomic neuropathies.Journal of neurovirology · 2019Trial
- Ghrelin Induces CluInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Vagal neuropathies: An underrecognized potential driver of physical, mental, and immune symptoms.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- A Comprehensive Review of the Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: From Pathophysiology to Potential Therapies.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Gut-Brain Signaling in Parkinson's Disease: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Mast cell activation within the mesentery depends on vagal signaling following abdominal surgery.Surgery open science · 2026Article
- Central control of gastrointestinal functions in health and disease.Physiological reviews · 2026Review
- Optimizing perioperative care in esophagectomy: a narrative review.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Review
- Idiopathic achalasia: unraveling the etiology and pathogenesis of an inflammatory disease.Gastroenterology report · 2026Review
- Bridging the gut and mind: a narrative review of depression in Crohn's disease and emerging gut-brain axis therapies.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Sepsis-associated gastrointestinal dysfunction: neuroimmune mechanisms, gut-brain axis disruption, and therapeutic potential of vagus nerve-targeted neuromodulation.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Noninvasive electrical neuromodulation involving vagus nerve mechanism for functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture alleviates functional dyspepsia by modulating the vagus nerve to regulate duodenal microbiota and suppress TWEAK/Fn14/NF-κB and arachidonic acid metabolic pathways.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Brain-Region-Mediated Neuroimmune Modulation in Sepsis: Research Advances and Therapeutic Prospects.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Acupuncture modulates the microbiota-gut-brain axis to treat irritable bowel syndrome: a mechanistic exploration.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
89 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The central nervous system interacts dynamically with the immune system to modulate inflammation through humoral and neural pathways. Recently, in animal models of sepsis, the vagus nerve (VN) has been proposed to play a crucial role in the regulation of the immune response, also referred to as the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. The VN, through release of acetylcholine, dampens immune cell activation by interacting with α-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Recent evidence suggests that the vagal innervation of the gastrointestinal tract also plays a major role controlling intestinal immune activation. Indeed, VN electrical stimulation potently reduces intestinal inflammation restoring intestinal homeostasis, whereas vagotomy has the reverse effect. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding concerning the mechanisms and effects involved in the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in the gastrointestinal tract. Deeper investigation on this counter-regulatory neuroimmune mechanism will provide new insights in the cross-talk between the nervous and immune system leading to the identification of new therapeutic targets to treat intestinal immune disease.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.