Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42497083›Full record

Trial reportThe European journal of neuroscience2026

Exploring the Feasibility of Mitigating Alcohol-Induced Instability Using Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation.

Nancy Barranco, Gustavo Arellano, Karla Pineda, Enrique Soto

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The European journal of neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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

4 authors.

Nancy BarrancoInstituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.
Gustavo ArellanoInstituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.
Karla PinedaInstituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.
Enrique SotoInstituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.

Funding

BUAP-VIEP Cuerpos Académicos BUAP-CA-119Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación (SECIHTI-Mexico) CBF-2025-I-462
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alcohol consumption significantly impairs postural stability by disrupting vestibular function, increasing the risk of falls. This study investigated the feasibility of using galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) to mitigate alcohol-induced postural instability in healthy adults, employing acute alcohol intake as a transient model of vestibular dysfunction. Sixty participants were assigned to groups with or without alcohol consumption (estimated blood alcohol concentration [BAC] 0.06%-0.08%) and randomly received one of three GVS types: random noise (rnGVS), direct current plus random noise (rn-dcGVS), or a sham stimulation (fGVS). Static balance was assessed using a stabilometric platform with eyes closed on an unstable surface. As expected, alcohol consumption significantly worsened stabilometric parameters, resembling vestibular pathological hypofunction. fGVS produced no significant changes, ruling out a placebo effect. Notably, rnGVS significantly improved postural stability in subjects who consumed alcohol, reducing sway velocity, maximal anteroposterior (Max AP), and mediolateral displacements (Max ML) during and immediately after stimulation. In contrast, rn-dcGVS worsened stability in subjects in the no alcohol consuming group with no significant change in the alcohol consuming group. These results demonstrate that rnGVS can effectively attenuate alcohol-induced postural instability in a transient experimental model of vestibular dysfunction and support the use of acute alcohol intake as a controlled model for investigating vestibular modulation.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingEthanolPostural BalanceVestibule, LabyrinthAdultElectric StimulationFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultEthanolalcohol effectsbalance controlgalvanic vestibular stimulationnoisy GVS (nGVS)postural swayvestibular rehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID42497083
PMCPMC13399183

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.