ArticleNeurobiology of stress2020
Transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation reduces sympathetic responses to stress in posttraumatic stress disorder: A double-blind, randomized, sham controlled trial.
Article in Neurobiology of stress, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02992899 (Closed Loop Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 46 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.
Closed Loop Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation may improve cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric diseases-a systematic review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in World Trade Center Responders: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Trial
- Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduces Withdrawal-Related Affective Distress and Improves Functional Outcomes in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2025Trial
- Electroceutical enhancement of self-compassion training using transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation: results from a preregistered fully factorial randomized controlled trial.Psychological medicine · 2025Trial
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation modulates stress-induced plasma ghrelin levels: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Trial
- Robust Estimation of Respiratory Variability Uncovers Correlates of Limbic Brain Activity and Transcutaneous Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the Context of Traumatic Stress.IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and emotional responding in borderline personality disorder: a randomized single-blind, sham-controlled study.Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation · 2026Article
- Combining electroacupuncture and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for psychiatric disorders in women victims of domestic violence: An assessor-blinded, randomised controlled trial.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- A pilot study of brain correlates of long-term treatment with transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Lack of relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and coronary atherosclerotic burden among twin veterans from the Vietnam era.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Without getting under your skin: non-invasive stimulation activates the vagus nerve.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in breast cancer: a neuroimmune model to improve quality of life.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treating Emotional Dysregulation and Inflammation in Common Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders: systematic review of randomised controlled studies.BJPsych open · 2025Review
- Non-Pharmacological Mitigation of Acute Mental Stress-Induced Sympathetic Arousal: Comparison Between Median Nerve Stimulation and Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Update on Neuromodulation for Migraine and Other Primary Headache Disorders: Recent Advances and New Indications.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- Next generation bioelectronic medicine: making the case for non-invasive closed-loop autonomic neuromodulation.Bioelectronic medicine · 2025Review
- Acute and long-term effects of COVID-19 on brain and mental health: A narrative review.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveExacerbated autonomic responses to acute stress are prevalent in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of transcutaneous cervical VNS (tcVNS) on autonomic responses to acute stress in patients with PTSD. The authors hypothesized tcVNS would reduce the sympathetic response to stress compared to a sham device.
methodsUsing a randomized double-blind approach, we studied the effects of tcVNS on physiological responses to stress in patients with PTSD (n = 25) using noninvasive sensing modalities. Participants received either sham (n = 12) or active tcVNS (n = 13) after exposure to acute personalized traumatic script stress and mental stress (public speech, mental arithmetic) over a three-day protocol. Physiological parameters related to sympathetic responses to stress were investigated.
resultsRelative to sham, tcVNS paired to traumatic script stress decreased sympathetic function as measured by: decreased heart rate (adjusted β = -5.7%; 95% CI: ±3.6%, effect size d = 0.43, p < 0.01), increased photoplethysmogram amplitude (peripheral vasodilation) (30.8%; ±28%, 0.29, p < 0.05), and increased pulse arrival time (vascular function) (6.3%; ±1.9%, 0.57, p < 0.0001). Similar (p < 0.05) autonomic, cardiovascular, and vascular effects were observed when tcVNS was applied after mental stress or without acute stress.
conclusiontcVNS attenuates sympathetic arousal associated with stress related to traumatic memories as well as mental stress in patients with PTSD, with effects persisting throughout multiple traumatic stress and stimulation testing days. These findings show that tcVNS has beneficial effects on the underlying neurophysiology of PTSD. Such autonomic metrics may also be evaluated in daily life settings in tandem with tcVNS therapy to provide closed-loop delivery and measure efficacy.ClinicalTrials.gov Registration # NCT02992899.
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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.