ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2022
An assessor-blinded, randomized comparative trial of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) combined with cranial electroacupuncture vs. citalopram for depression with chronic pain.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 5 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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of acupuncture for depression-associated chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping Acupoint Networks for Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Review-Based Network Analysis of Randomized Trials.Pain research & management · 2026Pooled it
- Durable Effect of Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Pooled it
- Neural, Anti-Inflammatory, and Clinical Effects of Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Acupuncture in treating cardiovascular disease complicated with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Postoperative pain after joint replacement surgery : A randomized controlled trial of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and the role of depression and anxiety.Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Trial
- Efficacy and EEG-ECG mechanisms of taVNS combined with TEAS for negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a protocol for a 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Article
- Article
- Review
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats through regulation of gut microbiome, serum metabolites, and immune factors.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Mechanism-Driven Translation of Electroacupuncture for Depression: Bridging the Gap Between Preclinical and Clinical Research.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Review
- Efficacy of Acupuncture Treatment in the Treatment of Female Myofascial Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Protocol for a Dual-Center Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation: mechanisms, applications, and research progress.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Peripheral Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: A 2×2 Factorial Design Protocol.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Immediate and sustained effects of acupuncture on the default mode network.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999) · 2025Article
- Case Report: Electroacupuncture combined with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for treating antiseizure medication-resistant juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation regulates gut microbiota mediated peripheral inflammation and metabolic disorders to suppress depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Conditioned Pain Modulation in Trigeminal Neuralgia Patients.Pain and therapy · 2024Article
- Clinical Efficacy of Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Chronic and Acute Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Pain and therapy · 2024Review
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation effects on chronic pain: systematic review and meta-analysis.Pain reports · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Depression accompanying chronic pain (CP) is one of the most common comorbid psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) combined with electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV20) and Yintang (GV29) acupoints compared with citalopram. Methods: Sixty patients with depression and pain comorbidity were enrolled in a prospective 8-week, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either taVNS combined with electroacupuncture treatment (taVNS: 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week; electroacupuncture: 8 weeks, twice per day, no drugs) or citalopram treatment (8 weeks, 40 mg/day). The primary outcome was Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The secondary endpoints were evaluated using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), self-reported 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Results: Both the taVNS combined with electroacupuncture and citalopram groups had significant reductions in depressive and pain symptoms, as indicated by the decrease in MARDS and SF-MPQ scores. Regarding the analgesic effect, the pain intensity score of the SF-MPQ showed a larger reduction with citalopram than with taVNS combined with electroacupuncture at 6 weeks ( Conclusion: In summary, compared with citalopram, taVNS combined with electroacupuncture produces similar positive effects on depressive and pain symptoms in patients with depression and chronic pain, which last for at least 8 weeks.
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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.