ReviewExperimental physiology2018
Mechanisms underpinning sympathetic nervous activity and its modulation using transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation.
Review in Experimental physiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07411846 (Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Perceived Stress and Psychological Distress in University Students With High Distress Levels), which is not on this map. Cited by 54 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Perceived Stress and Psychological Distress in University Students With High Distress Levels: A Randomized Blinded Clinical Trial
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in heart failure management - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Tragus Nerve Stimulation Attenuates Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in Post COVID-19 Infection.Clinical cardiology · 2025Trial
- Influence of a 2-week transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on memory: findings from a randomized placebo controlled trial in non-clinical adults.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2024Trial
- Noninvasive low-level tragus stimulation attenuates inflammation and oxidative stress in acute heart failure.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2023Trial
- Effects of Low-Level Tragus Stimulation on Endothelial Function in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.Journal of cardiac failure · 2021Trial
- 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
- Disruption of the spinal cord-gut axis alters microbial dynamics and carbohydrate cross-feeding in the gut.Communications biology · 2026Article
- The protective effect of cutaneous vagus nerve stimulation from necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in neonatal rats.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Sovateltide at the heart-brain axis crosstalk in Alzheimer's disease: a promising multi-target and cutting-edge therapeutic approach.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Short and long term effects of a two-week transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in hyperadrenergic postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: a proof-of-concept trial.European journal of internal medicine · 2026Article
- Non-invasive neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy: a contemporary structured review of mechanisms, clinical evidence and future directions.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Review
- Breathe better, live better: the science of slow breathing and heart rate variability.Acta neurologica Belgica · 2025Review
- Association between heart rate fragmentation and kidney function decline in MESA: evidence consistent with parasympathetic degradation.American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 2025Article
- Clinical neurocardiology: defining the value of neuroscience-based cardiovascular therapeutics - 2024 update.The Journal of physiology · 2025Review
- Transcutaneous Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Changing the Paradigm for Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation Therapies?Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Effect of neuromodulation for chronic pain on the autonomic nervous system: a systematic review.BJA open · 2024Review
- Non-invasive Neuromodulation of Arrhythmias.Cardiac electrophysiology clinics · 2024Review
- Denervation or stimulation? Role of sympatho-vagal imbalance in HFpEF with hypertension.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
NEW
findingsWhat is the topic of this review? This review briefly considers what modulates sympathetic nerve activity and how it may change as we age or in pathological conditions. It then focuses on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, a method of neuromodulation in autonomic cardiovascular control. What advances does it highlight? The review considers the pathways involved in eliciting the changes in autonomic balance seen with transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in relationship to other neuromodulatory techniques. The autonomic nervous system, consisting of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, is a major contributor to the maintenance of cardiovascular variables within homeostatic limits. As we age or in certain pathological conditions, the balance between the two branches changes such that sympathetic activity is more dominant, and this change in dominance is negatively correlated with prognosis in conditions such as heart failure. We have shown that non-invasive stimulation of the tragus of the ear increases parasympathetic activity and reduces sympathetic activity and that the extent of this effect is correlated with the baseline cardiovascular parameters of different subjects. The effects could be attributable to activation of the afferent branch of the vagus and, potentially, other sensory nerves in that region. This indicates that tragus stimulation may be a viable treatment in disorders where autonomic activity to the heart is compromised.
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.