SynthesisJournal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)2017
Vagus nerve stimulation in psychiatry: a systematic review of the available evidence.
Synthesis in Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 3 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
61 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 133 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adjunctive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression: a Quantitative Analysis.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2020Pooled it
- The CINP Guidelines on the Definition and Evidence-Based Interventions for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Disorder.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in treating major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Heart rate variability and cold-induced vascular dilation after stimulation of two different areas of the ear: a prospective, single-blinded, randomized crossover study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Trial
- A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for Fibromyalgia Pain and Physical Function, Using Brain Imaging Biomarkers.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2024Trial
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation modulates stress-induced plasma ghrelin levels: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Trial
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation Attenuates Cognitive Impairment in Traumatic Brain Injury via the mtDNA/cGAS-STING/NLRP3 Inflammasome Axis.Neurocritical care · 2026Article
- Contemporary Ethical Considerations in Psychiatric Neurosurgery.Stereotactic and functional neurosurgery · 2026Review
- Vagus nerve stimulation modulates cocaine seeking induced synaptic plasticity in reward related brain circuits.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Autoantibodies and Inflammation in Schizophrenia.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Review
- Innovative approaches in the treatment-resistant depression: exploring different therapeutic pathways.GeroScience · 2025Review
- Vagus nerve stimulation modulates synaptic plasticity induced by cocaine- seeking in reward-related circuitry.Research square · 2025Article
- Impact of neuromodulation on excessive daytime sleepiness: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Interventional Psychiatry in India: Bridging Treatment Gaps and Expanding Horizons in Mental Health.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2024Article
- Neuromodulation Strategies in Lifelong Bipolar Disorder: A Narrative Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Innovative and Emerging Treatments for Anorexia Nervosa.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- NRV: An open framework for in silico evaluation of peripheral nerve electrical stimulation strategies.PLoS computational biology · 2024Article
- Article
- Neurosurgical neuromodulation therapy for psychiatric disorders.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2024Review
1 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
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Invasive and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a promising add-on treatment for treatment-refractory depression, but is also increasingly evaluated for its application in other psychiatric disorders, such as dementia, schizophrenia, somatoform disorder, and others. We performed a systematic review aiming to give a detailed overview of the available evidence of the efficacy of VNS for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Data derived from animal models, experimental trials without health-related outcomes, case reports, single-session studies, and reviews were excluded. From 1292 publications, 33 records were included for further analyses: 25 focused on VNS as treatment of unipolar or bipolar major depressive disorder and one investigated the neurocognitive improvement after VNS in major depressive disorder. Seven focused on the improvement of cognitive function in Alzheimer´s disease, improvement of schizophrenia symptoms, treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (PD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment resistant rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, treatment of fibromyalgia, and Prader-Willi syndrome. A total of 29 studies used invasive VNS, while four studies used non-invasive, transcutaneous VNS. Only 7 out of 33 studies investigated conditions other than affective disorders. The efficacy data of VNS in affective disorders is promising, whereas more in controlled and naturalistic studies are needed. In other conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, OCD, PD, PTSD, and fibromyalgia, either no effects or preliminary data on efficacy were reported. At this point, no final conclusion can be made regarding the efficacy of VNS to improve symptoms in psychiatric disorders other than in affective disorders.
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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.