ReviewNeuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society2020
The Use of Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Treat Respiratory Symptoms Associated With COVID-19: A Theoretical Hypothesis and Early Clinical Experience.
Review in Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 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
45 citing papers in PubMed, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation has no anti-inflammatory effect in diabetes.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves dysautonomia, post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive impairment in long covid patients: a pilot study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Targeting the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway: an innovative strategy for treating diseases.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- New insights gained from cellular landscape changes in myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy.Heart failure reviews · 2024Review
- Neuroimmune recognition and regulation in the respiratory system.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2024Review
- Adaptive Autonomic and Neuroplastic Control in Diabetic Neuropathy: A Narrative Review.Current diabetes reviews · 2024Review
- Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of acupoints on respiratory outcomes of COVID-19 patients with moderate pulmonary involvement: A parallel randomized clinical trial.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors signaling boosts cell-cell interactions in macrophages effecting anti-inflammatory and organ protection.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Is the post-COVID-19 syndrome a severe impairment of acetylcholine-orchestrated neuromodulation that responds to nicotine administration?Bioelectronic medicine · 2023Article
- The sound stimulation method and EEG change analysis for development of digital therapeutics that can stimulate the nervous system: Cortical activation and drug substitution potential.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2023Article
- The diversity of neuroimmune circuits controlling lung inflammation.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2023Review
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Inflammation but Does Not Interfere with Cardiac Modulation and Clinical Symptoms of Individuals with COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- How COVID-19 Hijacks the Cytoskeleton: Therapeutic Implications.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy (EAT) Has Potential as a Novel Method for Long COVID Treatment.Viruses · 2022Article
- Putative Role of the Lung-Brain Axis in the Pathogenesis of COVID-19-Associated Respiratory Failure: A Systematic Review.Biomedicines · 2022Review
- Role of Body Mass and Physical Activity in Autonomic Function Modulation on Post-COVID-19 Condition: An Observational Subanalysis of Fit-COVID Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Observational
- Different Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Parameters Modulate the Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammation in Mice.Biomedicines · 2022Article
- Control of inflammation using non-invasive neuromodulation: past, present and promise.International immunology · 2022Review
- Disorders of the Cholinergic System in COVID-19 Era-A Review of the Latest Research.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a pandemic with no specific therapeutic agents and substantial mortality, and finding new treatments is critical. Most cases are mild, but a significant minority of patients develop moderate to severe respiratory symptoms, with the most severe cases requiring intensive care and/or ventilator support. This respiratory compromise appears to be due to a hyperimmune reaction, often called a cytokine storm. Vagus nerve stimulation has been demonstrated to block production of cytokines in sepsis and other medical conditions. We hypothesize that non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) might provide clinical benefits in patients with respiratory symptoms similar to those associated with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND
methodsInformation on two case reports was obtained via email correspondence and phone interviews with the patients.
resultsBoth patients reported clinically meaningful benefits from nVNS therapy. In case 1, the patient used nVNS to expedite symptomatic recovery at home after hospital discharge and was able to discontinue use of opioid and cough suppressant medications. In case 2, the patient experienced immediate and consistent relief from symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath, as well as an improved ability to clear his lungs.
conclusionsPreliminary observations and a strong scientific foundation suggest that nVNS might provide clinical benefits in patients with COVID-19 via multiple mechanisms.
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.