Trial reportTranslational stroke research2026
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Swallowing Function in Post-stroke Dysphagia: A Randomized Controlled Study.
Trial report in Translational stroke research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) is a common and disabling complication of stroke. Conventional swallowing rehabilitation provides limited benefit for patients with moderate-to-severe PSD, especially those with impaired neuromuscular activation. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has emerged as a non-invasive neuromodulatory approach that may enhance swallowing recovery, yet its clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified. A total of 96 patients with PSD were randomly assigned to a control group (conventional swallowing rehabilitation) or a taVNS group (conventional rehabilitation + taVNS). After a 4-week intervention, 86 patients completed the study (Control: n = 44; taVNS: n = 42). Clinical swallowing outcomes (FOIS, SSA, PAS), swallowing-related surface electromyography (Aemg, Iemg, reverse activation proportion, EMG latency), and serum biomarkers (BDNF, GFAP, IL-6) were assessed before and after treatment. Both groups exhibited improved swallowing function after intervention; however, the taVNS group showed significantly greater improvement in FOIS (p < 0.001), SSA (p < 0.001), and PAS (p = 0.001) compared with the control group. The taVNS group also demonstrated larger increases in Aemg and Iemg, greater reductions in reverse activation proportion, and shorter EMG latency (all p < 0.05). Serum BDNF levels increased more prominently in the taVNS group, whereas GFAP and IL-6 levels showed significantly greater reductions (all p < 0.01), with large to moderate-large effect sizes for key outcomes (FOIS: Cohen's d = 0.69, 95%CI [0.42,0.82]; SSA: d = 0.64, 95%CI [-5.28,-1.74]; BDNF: d = 1.36, 95%CI [2.33,3.77]; IL-6: d = 0.91, 95%CI [-16.65,-7.99]). taVNS combined with conventional rehabilitation was associated with greater swallowing improvements. However, due to feasibility constraints in moderate-to-severe PSD patients, a sham control was not included; therefore, causal attribution specifically to vagus nerve activation remains preliminary. The observed changes in serum biomarkers (increased BDNF, decreased GFAP and IL-6) are exploratory parallel associations and do not constitute mechanistic proof of central nervous system effects.
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Registered trials
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