Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42568693›Full record

ArticleBrain & NeuroRehabilitation2026

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Improve Daily-Life Gait in Parkinson's Disease: A Case Report.

Yohei Okada, Yuki Nishi, Naoya Hasegawa, Hiroshi Kataoka, Junji Nakamura, Taiyo Kai, Koki Ikuno, Sachio Nabeshima, Ryotaro Doko, Rina Nishimoto and 4 more

Abstract readCase Reports
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Brain & NeuroRehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

14 authors.

Yohei OkadaDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7860-3440
Yuki NishiInstitute of Biomedical Sciences (Health Sciences), Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1554-9998
Naoya HasegawaDepartment of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0791-8469
Hiroshi KataokaDepartment of Neurology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4157-5447
Junji NakamuraGraduate School of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4772-5239
Taiyo KaiNishiyamato Rehabilitation Hospital, Kanmaki, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9374-0793
Koki IkunoNishiyamato Rehabilitation Hospital, Kanmaki, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7899-1823
Sachio NabeshimaNishiyamato Rehabilitation Hospital, Kanmaki, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9762-456X
Ryotaro DokoDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3351-115X
Rina NishimotoDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1748-2221
Rio FujitaDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4953-5980
Yuki MoriDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6591-5510
Ayato YoshinagaDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6141-4844
Koji ShomotoDepartment of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kio University, Koryo, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2977-1752

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a promising non-invasive neuromodulation approach for addressing gait impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, evidence regarding its effects on daily-life gait remains limited. We report a case of a 67-year-old woman with PD and freezing of gait (FOG), based on the hypothesis that taVNS may enhance gait automaticity under daily-life conditions. A single-case A-B-C design was used, consisting of baseline, sham stimulation, and taVNS phases. Gait performance was assessed using wearable accelerometry in both experimental and daily-life settings. While no significant changes were observed in gait parameters during experimental assessments, daily-life walking measures-step velocity, step length, variability, and asymmetry-showed improvements during the taVNS phase. Importantly, no falls or FOG episodes were observed during the taVNS phase. These findings support the feasibility of taVNS and provide preliminary support for its potential therapeutic role in enhancing gait automaticity in daily life. Further controlled studies are warranted.

Indexed as

GaitParkinson DiseaseVagus Nerve StimulationWearable Electronic Devices

Identifiers

PMID42568693
PMCPMC13447373

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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.