ArticlePhysiological reports2025
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation inhibits mental stress-induced cortisol release-Potential implications for inflammatory conditions.
Article in Physiological reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07411846 (Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Perceived Stress and Psychological Distress in University Students With High Distress Levels), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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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.
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Perceived Stress and Psychological Distress in University Students With High Distress Levels: A Randomized Blinded Clinical Trial
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on postoperative pain in patients undergoing thoracoscopic partial lung resection: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial.Annals of medicine · 2026Trial
- The heart knows best: baseline heart rate variability as guide to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in depression.Translational psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Effects of taVNS on physiological responses and cognitive performance during a mental stressor.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2025Trial
- Exploring the role of neuro-immune modulation for psoriasis management: a narrative review of existing evidence and future therapies.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- A Comprehensive Review of the Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease: From Pathophysiology to Potential Therapies.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Disease: Comprehensive Theory and Evidence for Mechanisms of Action.Comprehensive physiology · 2026Review
- Viewing art as a pathway to psychological well-being and physical health.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for major depressive disorder: current evidence and future research directions.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Mechanistic insights into combined prefrontal tDCS and vagal nerve stimulation for stress regulation.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Brain-Region-Mediated Neuroimmune Modulation in Sepsis: Research Advances and Therapeutic Prospects.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Review
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in breast cancer: a neuroimmune model to improve quality of life.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats through regulation of gut microbiome, serum metabolites, and immune factors.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Neuroimmune Crosstalk in Psoriasis: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications.Inflammation · 2025Review
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treating Emotional Dysregulation and Inflammation in Common Neuropsychiatric Disorders.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation inhibits mental stress-induced cortisol release-Potential implications for inflammatory conditions.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Impact of Psychological Stress-Derived Hormones and Cytokines on Immune Cell Profiles in Vitiligo: Toward Improved Peripheral Blood Simulation in Animal Models.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Review
- Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on stress regulation: an EEG and questionnaire study.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Elevated glucocorticoid levels with reduced glucocorticoid responsiveness have been reported in chronic inflammatory conditions. Activation of neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract by transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) may activate inhibitory pathways projecting to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), thus inhibiting corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) release and improving glucocorticoid dysfunction in chronic inflammatory conditions. Healthy adults (n = 12) participated in experimental (taVNS) and control (sham-taVNS) sessions at least 4 days apart. A 30-min baseline recording was followed by 30 min of taVNS or sham-taVNS and 40 min of recovery. Ten minutes into taVNS or sham-taVNS, a mental arithmetic stress test (MAST) was conducted for 15 min. The MAST increased heart rate, low frequency (LF) heart rate variability (HRV), and the LF to high frequency ratio of HRV, confirming sympathetic activation. Salivary cortisol levels during the MAST were lower during taVNS (49.5 ± 48.0% from baseline; mean ± SD) compared to sham-taVNS (106.0 ± 81.1% from baseline; mean ± SD; p < 0.05). In a psoriasis patient, daily taVNS for 3 months reduced diurnal salivary cortisol levels from 58.2 ± 35.2 (ng/mL)*h (mean ± SD) to 34.9 ± 13.8 (ng/mL)*h (mean ± SD). While it is possible that taVNS inhibited CRH-releasing neurons in the PVN, our study design did not allow to confirm this potential mechanism.
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