Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36600569›Full record

SynthesisJournal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry2023

Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation for motor function, mental health and activities of daily living after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Yong Gao, Yi Zhu, Xiao Lu, Nannan Wang, Shizhe Zhu, Jianqiu Gong, Tong Wang, Shao-Wen Tang

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
  6. Review
  7. [Research progress on the neuromodulation targets in stroke rehabilitation].Sheng wu yi xue gong cheng xue za zhi = Journal of biomedical engineering = Shengwu yixue gongchengxue zazhi · 2026
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Neurostimulation After Stroke.Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America · 2024
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Ischemic Stroke.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2023
    Review
  20. The prospects for poststroke neural repair with vagal nerve stimulation.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Yong GaoDepartment of Rehabilitation, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0067-9626
Yi ZhuDepartment of Rehabilitation, Jiangsu Province People's Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Xiao LuDepartment of Rehabilitation, Jiangsu Province People's Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Nannan WangDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Nanjing Medical University School of Public Health, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Shizhe ZhuDepartment of Rehabilitation, Jiangsu Province People's Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Jianqiu GongDepartment of Rehabilitation, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China.
Tong WangDepartment of Rehabilitation, Jiangsu Province People's Hospital and Nanjing Medical University First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China tomswen@njmu.edu.cn wangtong60621@163.com.
Shao-Wen TangDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Nanjing Medical University School of Public Health, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China tomswen@njmu.edu.cn wangtong60621@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) plus rehabilitation (Rehab) has shown a potential effect on recovery with a stroke. We systematically synthesised studies examining VNS+Rehab for improving motor function, mental health and activities of daily living (ADL) postintervention and at the end of follow-up in patients with a stroke.

methodsThe search was performed in electronic databases EMBASE, Medline, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, CNKI, and WANFANG and three clinical trial registries from inception to February 2022. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) applied VNS+Rehab in stroke were included.

resultsSeven RCTs involving 263 (analysed) participants was included. The effect size of VNS+Rehab over Rehab for motor function was medium postintervention (g=0.432; 95% CI 0.186 to 0.678) and large at the end of follow-up (g=0.840; 95% CI 0.288 to 1.392). No difference was found in the effect of VNS+Rehab over traditional rehabilitation for ADL, mental health or safety outcomes. Subgroup analyses revealed larger effects for patients received taVNS (transcutaneous auricular VNS) devices (at acute/subacute phase of stroke, with lower VNS stimulation frequency or pluses per session, greater VNS on-off time or sessions, higher VNS intervention weekly frequency).

conclusionThe results suggest VNS+Rehab showed better motor function outcomes in patients after stroke, while no better than Rehab on mental health or ADL. Combinations of phase of stroke, specific parameters of VNS and VNS intervention frequency are key modulators of VNS effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022310194.

Indexed as

StrokeStroke RehabilitationVagus Nerve StimulationActivities of Daily LivingHumansMental HealthRecovery of FunctionELECTRICAL STIMULATIONMETA-ANALYSISREHABILITATIONSTROKE

Identifiers

PMID36600569

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.