ArticleHeart rhythm2016
Intermittent left cervical vagal nerve stimulation damages the stellate ganglia and reduces the ventricular rate during sustained atrial fibrillation in ambulatory dogs.
Article in Heart rhythm, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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
32 citing papers in PubMed, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- Simultaneous noninvasive recording of electrocardiogram and skin sympathetic nerve activity (neuECG).Nature protocols · 2020Trial
- TREAT AF (Transcutaneous Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Atrial Fibrillation): A Randomized Clinical Trial.JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2020Trial
- Autonomic Neuromodulation Acutely Ameliorates Left Ventricular Strain in Humans.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2019Trial
- Autonomic dysregulation and atrial arrhythmias.American journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2025Review
- Long-Term Stimulation of the Left Dorsal Branch of the Thoracic Nerve Improves Ventricular Electrical Remodeling in a Canine Model of Chronic Myocardial Infarction.Cardiovascular drugs and therapy · 2025Article
- Neurocardiology: translational advancements and potential.The Journal of physiology · 2025Review
- Vascularization, Innervation, and Inflammation: Pathways Connecting the Heart-Brain Axis and Implications in a Clinical Setting.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Autonomic Modulation of Atrial Fibrillation.JACC. Basic to translational science · 2023Review
- Median nerve stimulation elevates ventricular fibrillation thresholdFrontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022Article
- Neuroscientific therapies for atrial fibrillation.Cardiovascular research · 2021Review
- Development and characterization of a chronic implant mouse model for vagus nerve stimulation.eLife · 2021Article
- Neural Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities for Atrial Fibrillation.Methodist DeBakey cardiovascular journal · 2021Review
- Effects and Mechanisms of Cutting Upper Thoracic Sympathetic Trunk on Ventricular Rate in Ambulatory Canines with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.Cardiology research and practice · 2021Article
- Subcutaneous nerve stimulation reduces sympathetic nerve activity in ambulatory dogs with myocardial infarction.Heart rhythm · 2020Article
- Autonomic Modulation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Methods to Assess Treatment and Outcomes.JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2020Review
- Skin sympathetic nerve activity and ventricular rate control during atrial fibrillation.Heart rhythm · 2020Article
- Sex Differences in Vagus Nerve Stimulation Effects on Rat Cardiovascular and Immune Systems.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2020Article
- Subcutaneous nerve stimulation for rate control in ambulatory dogs with persistent atrial fibrillation.Heart rhythm · 2019Article
- Neuromodulation for the Treatment of Heart Rhythm Disorders.JACC. Basic to translational science · 2019Review
- Low-level transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation attenuates cardiac remodelling in a rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.Experimental physiology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe effects of intermittent open-loop vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) on the ventricular rate (VR) during atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that VNS damages the stellate ganglion (SG) and improves VR control during persistent AF.
methodsWe performed left cervical VNS in ambulatory dogs while recording the left SG nerve activity (SGNA) and vagal nerve activity. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were used to assess neuronal cell death in the SG.
resultsWe induced persistent AF by atrial pacing in 6 dogs, followed by intermittent VNS with short ON-time (14 seconds) and long OFF-time (66 seconds). The integrated SGNA and VR during AF were 4.84 mV·s (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.08-6.60 mV·s) and 142 beats/min (95% CI 116-168 beats/min), respectively. During AF, VNS reduced the integrated SGNA and VR, respectively, to 3.74 mV·s (95% CI 2.27-5.20 mV·s; P = .021) and 115 beats/min (95% CI 96-134 beats/min; P = .016) during 66-second OFF-time and to 4.07 mV·s (95% CI 2.42-5.72 mV·s; P = .037) and 114 beats/min (95% CI 83-146 beats/min; P = .039) during 3-minute OFF-time. VNS increased the frequencies of prolonged (>3 seconds) pauses during AF. TH staining showed large confluent areas of damage in the left SG, characterized by pyknotic nuclei, reduced TH staining, increased percentage of TH-negative ganglion cells, and positive TUNEL staining. Occasional TUNEL-positive ganglion cells were also observed in the right SG.
conclusionVNS damaged the SG, leading to reduced SGNA and better rate control during persistent AF.
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.