Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41091086›Full record

Trial reportNeuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society2026

Both Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Great Auricular Nerve Stimulation Modulate Functional and Structural Connectivity of Brainstem Nuclei in Chronic Low Back Pain.

Yuanyuan Li, Tingting Li, Keming Yan, Jiani Wu, Sveta Reddy, Valeria Sacca, Amy Katherine Ursitti, Meixuan Zhu, Sierra Hodges, Lucy Chen and 1 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03959111 (Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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.

NCT03959111 nacompletednot on this map

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Pain

TypeinterventionalSponsorMassachusetts General HospitalRan2019 to 2024Enrolled70ConditionsLow Back PainArmsStimulation at Location 1, Stimulation at Location 2
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
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

11 authors.

Yuanyuan LiDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Tingting LiDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Keming YanDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Jiani WuDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Sveta ReddyDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Valeria SaccaDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Amy Katherine UrsittiDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Meixuan ZhuDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Sierra HodgesDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Lucy ChenDepartment of Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Jian KongDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA. Electronic address: JKONG2@mgh.harvard.edu.

Funding

Treatment of chronic low back pain with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationR34DA046635 · NIDA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI KONG, JIAN · 2019 to 2021
$766k
NIDA NIH HHS R34 DA046635
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aims to investigate the modulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) and transcutaneous greater auricular nerve stimulation (tGANS) on the brainstem's vagus nerve pathway hubs-the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), locus coeruleus (LC), and raphe nucleus (RN)-in individuals with chronic low back pain (cLBP). MATERIALS AND

methodsA total of 70 patients with cLBP were randomly assigned to receive four weeks of either taVNS or tGANS. Resting-state functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI/sMRI) data were collected at baseline and post treatment. Analyses focused on static and dynamic functional connectivity (sFC/dFC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) using the NTS, LC, and RN--three brainstem nuclei within the central vagus nerve pathway-as seed regions.

resultsOverall, 51 participants completed the treatment. Both groups showed significant pain improvement, with no significant difference between the taVNS and tGANS groups. taVNS was found to influence connectivity between the NTS and cingulate cortex, sensorimotor areas, thalamus, insula, operculum, and prefrontal cortex; between the LC and primary motor area and amygdala; and between the RN and sensory and prefrontal regions. In contrast, tGANS affected connectivity between the NTS and temporoparietal junction; between the LC and prefrontal cortex; and between the RN and insula and hippocampus. Changes in FA further supported the sFC findings. Notably, in the taVNS group, an increase in FA was negatively correlated with a decrease in sFC between the LC and precentral cortex.

conclusionsBoth taVNS and tGANS can modulate functional and structural connectivity between brainstem nuclei of the central vagus nerve pathway and multiple cortical/subcortical regions, albeit through different neural circuits. CLINICAL

trial registrationThe Clinicaltrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT03959111.

Indexed as

Brain StemChronic PainLow Back PainTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationVagus Nerve StimulationAdultFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeural PathwaysBrainstem nucleichronic low back painfunctional connectivitytranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationtranscutaneous greater auricular nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID41091086
PMCPMC12757906

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.