ArticleJournal of Crohn's & colitis2023
Neuroimmune Modulation Through Vagus Nerve Stimulation Reduces Inflammatory Activity in Crohn's Disease Patients: A Prospective Open-label Study.
Article in Journal of Crohn's & colitis, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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
43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mapping the neuroimaging landscape of inflammatory bowel disease: a bibliometric analysis and systematic scoping review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Assessing the therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation in autoimmune diseases: A systematic review.Physiological reports · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring Electrical Neuromodulation as an Alternative Therapeutic Approach in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Pooled it
- Dynamic Changes in Serum Choline Acetyltransferase and Acetylcholinesterase in Septic versus Non-Septic ICU Patients: A Prospective Exploratory Study.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Trial
- Vagus nerve-mediated neuroimmune modulation for rheumatoid arthritis: a pivotal randomized controlled trial.Nature medicine · 2026Trial
- Context-Dependent Modulation of Epithelial Barrier Integrity and Intestinal Permeability by Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Two Preclinical Models Mimicking Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease: A Descriptive Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Targeting the neuro-immune axis: immunological mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in male sexual dysfunction.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Article
- Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation or combined vagal and trigeminal nerve stimulation on platelet function and laboratory hemostasis parameters in healthy human subjects.Bioelectronic medicine · 2026Article
- Vagus nerve stimulation limits colonic inflammation through distinct neuroimmune circuitry shaped by inflammatory history.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Neuroimmune Dynamics in Diseases of the Arterial Wall: Mechanistic Foundations and Translational Prospects.Current atherosclerosis reports · 2026Review
- Vagus nerve stimulation modulates LPS-induced epileptogenicity: the role of inflammation suppression.Research square · 2026Article
- Vagus nerve stimulation in Crohn's disease: long-term outcomes, mechanistic insights, and the promise of non-invasive approaches.Bioelectronic medicine · 2026Article
- Long-term vagus nerve stimulation synergized with rapamycin elicits neuroimmune modulation to prolong skin allograft survival.iScience · 2026Article
- Implantation of a passive electrical neurostimulation device achieves inflammatory modulation in rodents.Communications biology · 2026Article
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Neuro-Immune Crosstalk: Molecular Mechanisms, Biological Functions, Diseases, and Therapeutic Targets.MedComm · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture Attenuates Colitis in Mice Through Activation of Vagus Cholinergic Antiinflammatory Pathways.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Spatial Modulation of Immune Cell Distribution and Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines by Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) in a Preclinical Model of Ulcerative Colitis: A Descriptive Study.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Qingre Liangxue Acupuncture for Psoriasis: A Cholinergic Neuroimmune Framework.International journal of general medicine · 2026Review
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 9 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsCrohn's disease [CD] is a debilitating, inflammatory condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract. There is no cure and sustained clinical and endoscopic remission is achieved by fewer than half of patients with current therapies. The immunoregulatory function of the vagus nerve, the 'inflammatory reflex', has been established in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and biologic-naive CD. The aim of this study was to explore the safety and efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation in patients with treatment-refractory CD, in a 16-week, open-label, multicentre, clinical trial.
methodsA vagus nerve stimulator was implanted in 17 biologic drug-refractory patients with moderately to severely active CD. One patient exited the study pre-treatment, and 16 patients were treated with vagus nerve stimulation [4/16 receiving concomitant biologics] during 16 weeks of induction and 24 months of maintenance treatment. Endpoints included clinical improvement, patient-reported outcomes, objective measures of inflammation [endoscopic/molecular], and safety.
resultsThere was a statistically significant and clinically meaningful decrease in CD Activity Index at Week 16 [mean ± SD: -86.2 ± 92.8, p = 0.003], a significant decrease in faecal calprotectin [-2923 ± 4104, p = 0.015], a decrease in mucosal inflammation in 11/15 patients with paired endoscopies [-2.1 ± 1.7, p = 0.23], and a decrease in serum tumour necrosis factor and interferon-γ [46-52%]. Two quality-of-life indices improved in 7/11 patients treated without biologics. There was one study-related severe adverse event: a postoperative infection requiring device explantation.
conclusionsNeuroimmune modulation via vagus nerve stimulation was generally safe and well tolerated, with a clinically meaningful reduction in clinical disease activity associated with endoscopic improvement, reduced levels of faecal calprotectin and serum cytokines, and improved quality of life.
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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.