ReviewThe Journal of physiology2025
Vagus nerve stimulation for stroke rehabilitation: Neural substrates, neuromodulatory effects and therapeutic implications.
Review in The Journal of physiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Two decades of vagus nerve stimulation for stroke: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Elevating cerebellar theta oscillations boosts noninvasively induced motor plasticity.Science advances · 2026Article
- Roles of the Cholinergic and Adrenergic Systems in Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Recovery of Motor Function in Patients with Stroke: Opportunities for Novel Treatments and Rehabilitation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Right vagus nerve stimulation promotes motor cortical plasticity.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Closed-loop movement-paired transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for upper-limb rehabilitation: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Harnessing Neuroplasticity: The Role of Priming in Enhancing Post Stroke Motor Function.Restorative neurology and neuroscience · 2026Review
- A novel transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation electrode configuration for treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding: an open-label trial.Bioelectronic medicine · 2026Article
- Breathing-driven modulation of reticulospinal tract activity.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Ameliorates Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Through Regulating Macrophage Polarization Mediated by Alpha7nAChR.Cardiovascular drugs and therapy · 2026Article
- Two paths to the body's superhighway-the auricular branch (taVNS) and the cervical bundle (tcVNS): a narrative review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Research progress on the mechanisms and clinical applications of neuromodulation techniques for intervening in interhemispheric imbalance after stroke.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Review
- Mapping the role of vagus nerve stimulation in post-stroke arm motor recovery.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Review
- Clinical experience implanting a miniature externally powered vagus nerve stimulator.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Article
- The Role of Sensory Impairments on Recovery and Rehabilitation After Stroke.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2025Review
- Impact of cervical osteoarthritis on quality of life after free flap reconstruction in head and neck cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Rehabilitation in the Home Environment for People With Chronic Post-Stroke Upper Limb Deficits: Preliminary Findings.Advances in rehabilitation science and practiceArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Paired vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising strategy to potentiate recovery after neurological injury. This approach, which combines short bursts of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve with rehabilitation exercises, received approval from the US Food and Drug Aministration in 2021 as the first neuromodulation-based therapy for chronic stroke. Because this treatment is increasingly implemented in clinical practice, there is a need to take stock of what we know about this approach and what we have yet to learn. Here, we provide a survey on the foundational basis of VNS therapy for stroke and offer insight into the mechanisms that underlie potentiated recovery, focusing on the principles of neuromodulatory reinforcement. We discuss the current state of observations regarding synaptic reorganization in motor networks that are enhanced by VNS, and we propose other prospective loci of neuromodulation that should be evaluated in the future. Finally, we highlight the future opportunities and challenges to be faced as this approach is increasingly translated to clinical use. Collectively, a clearer understanding of the mechanistic basis of VNS therapy may reveal ways to maximize its benefits.
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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.