Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42871397›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in neuroscience2026

A pilot study of invasive vagus nerve stimulation in Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease: preliminary results on safety, cognition, and biomarkers.

Yingchuan Chen, Tenghong Lian, Dongmei Luo, Rujin Wang, Aolan Li, Dongmei Gao, Tingting Du, Qin Xu, Anxin Wang, Fangang Meng and 3 more

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Article in Frontiers in neuroscience, 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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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

2 · The registry

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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

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Yingchuan Chen *Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Tenghong Lian *Center for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Dongmei Luo *Center for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Rujin WangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Aolan LiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Dongmei GaoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Tingting DuDepartment of Functional Neurosurgery, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Qin XuDepartment of Epidemiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Anxin WangDepartment of Epidemiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Fangang MengDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Anchao YangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Wei ZhangCenter for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Jianguo ZhangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no curative therapies, and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising neuromodulatory approach. This prospective, open-label pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary cognitive, psychological, inflammatory, and AD biomarker effects of invasive VNS (iVNS) in Chinese AD patients. Methods: Five AD patients (mean age: 62.4 ± 4.0 years) underwent iVNS implantation, with assessments at baseline, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (one patient did not complete the 6-month follow-up). Cognitive function (MMSE, CDR, VFT, BNT), psychological/behavioral symptoms (CMAI, HAMA, HAMD), sleep/daily-living status (ESS, ADL), serum inflammatory factors, and AD biomarkers were measured. Results: Among cognitive outcomes, MMSE increased by 1 point at both follow-ups and VFT rose by 5.2 and 4.25 points at 3 and 6 months, respectively, although none of these changes reached statistical significance; global CDR remained unchanged. HAMA and HAMD scores decreased, and ESS scores declined by 25-27%, without reaching significance. Serum pro-inflammatory Eotaxin and CCL5 were significantly reduced ( Discussion: These preliminary findings suggest that iVNS is feasible and associated with early signals of cognitive, psychological, inflammatory, and biomarker changes in AD patients, which warrant confirmation in larger, randomized, sham-controlled trials.

Indexed as

Alzheimer’s diseasecognitive functioninflammationpsychological symptomvagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID42871397
PMCPMC13658621

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