ArticlePloS one2024
Is transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation effective and safe for primary insomnia? A PRISMA-compliant protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy and neural mechanisms of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for chronic insomnia: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Perioperative transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and EEG biomarkers of sleep improvement after gynecologic laparoscopy: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInsomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder with substantial impacts on health and quality of life. Current treatment options have certain limitations, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta-VNS) is gaining recognition as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique for treating insomnia, but its efficacy has not been systematically evaluated. Therefore, this protocol outlines the framework for a systematic review and meta-analysis designed to comprehensively assess the effectiveness and safety of ta-VNS in treating primary insomnia.
methodsA thorough literature search will be carried out in Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, AMED, PEDro, Wangfang database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, covering publications from their inception until December 31, 2024. Randomized controlled trials evaluating ta-VNS for primary insomnia in adults will be included. Two independent reviewers will screen studies, gather data, and evaluate the risk of bias based on the Cochrane RoB 2.0 tool. Meta-analyses will be conducted where appropriate, and the quality of evidence will be evaluated using GRADE. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses are planned. DISCUSSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis will deliver a thorough synthesis of existing evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of ta-VNS for insomnia, potentially informing clinical practice and future research directions.
trial registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD42024529039.
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.