SynthesisMovement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society2025
Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Movement Disorders, from Principles to a Systematic Review of Evidence.
Synthesis in Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on motor and gait performance in Parkinson's disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Research advances in the microbiota‑gut‑brain axis and Parkinson's disease (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Tourette syndrome.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026Review
- Post-stroke spasticity: advances in network mechanisms and therapeutics.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation reduces total striatal GABA+ content, increases DLPFC Glu content, and facilitates early-phase motor learning.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- Therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation in neurodegenerative diseases: research progress and mechanisms.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe vagus nerve (VN), the principal component of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), mediates bidirec communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral organs. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), delivered through invasive (iVNS) or non-invasive (transcutaneous cervical [tcVNS] and transcutaneous auricular [taVNS]), exerts multimodal effects on multiple circuits and neurotransmitters, and is currently under investigation in movement disorders.
objectivesThis systematic review evaluates the therapeutic potential of VNS in movement disorders (MDs), with a focus on Parkinson's disease (PD), parkinsonism, tremor and essential tremor (ET), cervical dystonia (CD), and Tourette's syndrome (TS).
methodsA systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus was conducted for studies published between 2020 and 2025, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines.
resultsThirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria: 22 on PD or parkinsonism (14 clinical and 8 preclinical on PD, 1 clinical on multisystem atrophy), 6 on tremor and ET (4 clinical, 2 preclinical), 2 clinical studies on CD, and 1 clinical study on TS. Across conditions, VNS was reported to improve motor and non-motor, enhance synaptic plasticity, modulate neurotransmitter activity relevant to MDs (GABA, norepinephrine, dopamine, and acetylcholine), and reduce neuroinflammation.
conclusionsCurrent evidence supports the multimodal effect of VNS in MDs, particularly in PD, where the most consistent benefits were observed. Non-invasive taVNS represents a promising, safer alternative to iVNS. Larger randomized controlled trials with standardized protocols are needed to validate efficacy, optimize stimulation parameters, and determine long-term clinical and biological impact. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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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.