Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23304215›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2012

Auricular acupuncture and vagal regulation.

Wei He, Xiaoyu Wang, Hong Shi, Hongyan Shang, Liang Li, Xianghong Jing, Bing Zhu

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 97 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
97citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
21.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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.

NCT05815121 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Interest of Acupressing in the Treatment of Preoperative Anxiety and Comfort of Patients Undergoing Oocyte Retrieval in Outpatient Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorHopital FochRan2023 to 2023Enrolled82ConditionsFertility Disorders, Anxiety StateArmsAcupressing, Control
NCT06169098 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Changes in Skin Surface Temperature of the Lumbar Region During Auricular Acupressure at Kidney Point on Healthy Volunteers

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityRan2023 to 2024Enrolled34ConditionsTemperature Change, BodyArmsAuricular acupressure on the left ear, Auricular acupressure on the right ear, Sham auricular acupressure
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

97 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 196 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Acupuncture for neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
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  8. Trial
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  12. Review
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  14. Article
  15. Application of auriculotherapy in cancer-related fatigue symptom cluster: a scoping review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
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  18. Review
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37 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Wei HeInstitute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
Xiaoyu Wang
Hong Shi
Hongyan Shang
Liang Li
Xianghong Jing
Bing Zhu
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Auricular acupuncture has been utilized in the treatment of diseases for thousands of years. Dr. Paul Nogier firstly originated the concept of an inverted fetus map on the external ear. In the present study, the relationship between the auricular acupuncture and the vagal regulation has been reviewed. It has been shown that auricular acupuncture plays a role in vagal activity of autonomic functions of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. Mechanism studies suggested that afferent projections from especially the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN) to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) form the anatomical basis for the vagal regulation of auricular acupuncture. Therefore, we proposed the "auriculovagal afferent pathway" (AVAP): both the autonomic and the central nervous system could be modified by auricular vagal stimulation via projections from the ABVN to the NTS. Auricular acupuncture is also proposed to prevent neurodegenerative diseases via vagal regulation. There is a controversy on the specificity and the efficacy of auricular acupoints for treating diseases. More clinical RCT trials on auricular acupuncture and experimental studies on the mechanism of auricular acupuncture should be further investigated.

Identifiers

PMID23304215
PMCPMC3523683
OpenAlexW2076027445

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.