Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40857053›Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Vagus Nerve Promotes Poststroke Dysphagia Recovery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Shaofan Chen, Shuo Xu, Chenfang Liang, Zhiming Huang, Xiaona Dai, Xianyi Su, Haoqing Jiang

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
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

7 authors.

Shaofan ChenFrom the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhangzhou Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Zhangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8055-0763
Shuo Xu
Chenfang Liang
Zhiming Huang
Xiaona Dai
Xianyi Su
Haoqing Jiang

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this study was to confirm whether transcranial direct current stimulation over the vagus nerve can improve swallowing function in patients with poststroke dysphagia.

designThis is a parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial.

methodsSixty-four patients with poststroke dysphagia were randomly allocated to receive real or sham transcranial direct current stimulation over the vagus nerve combined with routine swallowing rehabilitation therapy. Swallowing function was assessed by Fiberoptic Endoscopic Dysphagia Severity Scale, Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability Scale, Functional Communication Measure, and Rosenbek Penetration-Aspiration Scale before and after treatment.

resultsAfter 4 weeks of treatment, swallowing function improved in both the transcranial direct current stimulation over the vagus nerve group and control group. Intragroup changes in the Fiberoptic Endoscopic Dysphagia Severity Scale, Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability Scale, Functional Communication Measure, and Rosenbek Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores were more significant in the transcranial direct current stimulation over the vagus nerve group than in the control group.

conclusionsThis preliminary study suggested that the performance of transcranial direct current stimulation over the vagus nerve improved the swallowing function in patients with poststroke dysphagia and extended the clinical application of transcranial direct current stimulation in poststroke dysphagia.

Indexed as

Deglutition DisordersStrokeStroke RehabilitationTranscranial Direct Current StimulationAgedDeglutitionDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRecovery of FunctionTreatment OutcomeVagus NerveDysphagiaStrokeTranscranial Direct Current StimulationVagus Nerve

Identifiers

PMID40857053
PMCPMC12928803

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.