Trial reportBrain stimulation
Transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation reduces behavioral and physiological manifestations of withdrawal in patients with opioid use disorder: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled pilot study.
Trial report in Brain stimulation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04556552 (Non-Invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Opioid Use Disorders), which is not on this map. Cited by 18 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.
Non-Invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Opioid Use Disorders
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation may improve cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric diseases-a systematic review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- 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
- Transcutaneous Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Prefrontal Cortex Activity During Opioid Withdrawal in Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2025Trial
- Differential Gamma Responses to Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Revealed by Human Intracranial Recordings.Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Restores Cognitive Impairment in Morphine-Withdrawn Rats: Role of BDNF and Glial Cells in the Hippocampus.Addiction biology · 2025Article
- Accrued reductions in heart rate following transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Acute and long-term effects of COVID-19 on brain and mental health: A narrative review.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2025Review
- Noninvasive Brain Stimulation for Opioid Use Disorder: An Update of the Literature.Current behavioral neuroscience reports · 2025Article
- Investigating Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability as an Indicator of Craving in Recently Treated Patients with Opioid Use DisorderAnnual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference · 2024Article
- Managing Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms During the Fentanyl Crisis: A Review.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2024Review
- Neuroimmunomodulation of vagus nerve stimulation and the therapeutic implications.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Review
- Noninvasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Opioid Use Disorder.Annals of depression and anxiety · 2023Article
- Transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Median Nerve Stimulation reduce acute stress in young healthy adults: a single-blind sham-controlled crossover study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Article
- Leveraging Accelerometry as a Prognostic Indicator for Increase in Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms.Biosensors · 2022Article
- Transcutaneous Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduces Respiratory Variability in the Context of Opioid Withdrawal.... IEEE-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics. IEEE-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical and Health Informatics · 2022Article
- Pain is reduced by transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation and correlated with cardiorespiratory variability measures in the context of opioid withdrawal.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOpioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a serious public health problem, and the behavioral and physiological effects of opioid withdrawal can be a major impediment to recovery. Medication for OUD is currently the mainstay of treatment; however, it has limitations and alternative approaches are needed.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the effects of transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) on behavioral and physiological manifestations of acute opioid withdrawal.
methodsPatients with OUD undergoing acute opioid withdrawal were randomly assigned to receive double blind active tcVNS (N = 10) or sham stimulation (N = 11) while watching neutral and opioid cue videos. Subjective opioid withdrawal, opioid craving, and anxiety were measured using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Distress was measured using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS), and pain was measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain. Electrocardiogram signals were measured to compute heart rate. The primary outcomes of this initial phase of the clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04556552) were heart rate and craving.
resultstcVNS compared to sham resulted in statistically significant reductions in subjective opioid withdrawal (p = .047), pain (p = .045), and distress (p = .004). In addition, tcVNS was associated with lower heart rate compared to sham (p = .026). Craving did not significantly differ between groups (p = .11).
conclusionstcVNS reduces behavioral and physiological manifestations of opioid withdrawal, and should be evaluated in future studies as a possible non-pharmacologic, easily implemented approach for adjunctive OUD treatment.
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.