Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37311693›Full record

Trial reportCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2023

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves gait and cortical activity in Parkinson's disease: A pilot randomized study.

Heng Zhang, Xing-Yue Cao, Li-Na Wang, Qing Tong, Hui-Min Sun, Cai-Ting Gan, Ai-di Shan, Yong-Sheng Yuan, Ke-Zhong Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
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

40 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Movement Disorders, from Principles to a Systematic Review of Evidence.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Heng ZhangDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Xing-Yue CaoDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Li-Na WangDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Qing TongDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Hui-Min SunDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Cai-Ting GanDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Ai-di ShanDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Yong-Sheng YuanDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Ke-Zhong ZhangDepartment of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4437-1095
Jiangsu Province Hospital · CN

Funding

Jiangsu Social Development Project BE2022808National Natural Science Foundation of China 82271273
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveIn this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, we explored the effect of 20 Hz transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on gait impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and investigated the underlying neural mechanism.

methodsIn total, 22 PD patients and 14 healthy controls were enrolled. PD patients were randomized (1:1) to receive active or sham taVNS (same position as active taVNS group but without releasing current) twice a day for 1 week. Meanwhile, all subjects were measured activation in the bilateral frontal and sensorimotor cortex during usual walking by functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

resultsPD patients showed instable gait with insufficient range of motion during usual walking. Active taVNS improved gait characteristics including step length, stride velocity, stride length, and step length variability compared with sham taVNS after completion of the 7-day therapy. No difference was found in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III, Timed Up and Go, Tinetti Balance, and Gait scores. Moreover, PD patients had higher relative change of oxyhemoglobin in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, pre-motor area, supplementary motor area, primary motor cortex, and primary somatosensory cortex than HCs group during usual walking. Hemodynamic responses in the left primary somatosensory cortex were significantly decreased after taVNS therapy.

conclusiontaVNS can relieve gait impairments and remodel sensorimotor integration in PD patients.

Indexed as

Parkinson DiseaseTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationVagus Nerve StimulationGaitHumansPilot ProjectsVagus Nervefunctional near-infrared spectroscopygait impairmentsParkinson's diseaseprimary somatosensory cortextranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID37311693
PMCPMC10651956
OpenAlexW4380576452

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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.