Browse clear summaries of published research across VNS, taVNS, sleep, safety, autonomic regulation, heart rate variability, brain pathways, inflammation and gut–brain communication.
Each summary explains the research question, study design, main findings, limitations and source details.
ABOUT THE SUMMARIES
Each study page separates what was studied, what was found and what the paper cannot establish. Full reference details and links to the original source are included.
The original paper remains the primary scientific source.
STUDY SUMMARIES
Explore all published study summaries, organised by research area.
Zhang S, Zhao Y, Qin Z, et al.
JAMA Network Open
A randomized sham-controlled clinical trial of 72 adults reported a 4.2-point greater improvement in PSQI sleep-quality scores with active taVNS than with sham at week 8. Responder rates were 69.4% with active taVNS and 27.8% with sham.
Read study summaryYeom JW, Kim H, Park S, Yoon Y, Seo JY, Cho CH, Lee HJ
Sleep Medicine
A double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial of 40 participants reported significantly greater improvements in sleep quality and insomnia severity with active taVNS than with sham after six weeks.
Read study summaryHelen Michaela de Oliveira, Mariano Gallo Ruelas, Camilo André Viana Diaz, Guilherme Oliveira de Paula, Pablo Ramon Fruett da Costa, Julie G. Pilitsis
Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface
A systematic review and meta-analysis of six studies involving 336 participants reported improvements in sleep quality and insomnia severity, while rating the certainty of evidence as low to very low.
Read study summaryAngela Yun Kim, Anna Marduy, Paulo S. de Melo, Anna Carolyna Gianlorenco, Chi Kyung Kim, Hyuk Choi, Jae-Jun Song, Felipe Fregni
Scientific Reports
A review of 177 studies involving 6,322 participants found no difference in overall adverse-event risk between active taVNS and control conditions, while noting incomplete adverse-event reporting across much of the literature.
Read study summaryEleni Frangos, Jens Ellrich, Barry R. Komisaruk
Brain Stimulation
A human fMRI study in 12 healthy adults found that electrical stimulation at the left cymba conchae engaged central pathways associated with the vagus nerve.
Read study summaryDanesh Soltani, Bayan Azizi, Sepehr Sima, Kiarash Tavakoli, Negin Sadat Hosseini Mohammadi, Abdol-Hossein Vahabie, Kaveh Akbarzadeh-Sherbaf, Ali Vasheghani-Farahani
Clinical Autonomic Research
A systematic review found changes across several HRV measures in taVNS studies, while highlighting substantial variation between stimulation protocols and study designs.
Read study summaryStephen W. Porges
Psychophysiology
An influential and debated theoretical paper proposing a polyvagal framework for autonomic state, defensive responses and social engagement.
Read study summaryJulian F. Thayer & Richard D. Lane
Journal of Affective Disorders
A model connecting brain networks, emotional regulation, autonomic flexibility, heart rate variability and vagal activity.
Read study summaryTask Force of the European Society of Cardiology and NASPE
Circulation
A foundational methodological reference for heart rate variability measurement, terminology and interpretation.
Read study summaryL. V. Borovikova et al.
Nature
A preclinical experiment using cell and animal models to examine how vagus nerve stimulation influenced systemic inflammatory signalling.
Read study summaryKevin J. Tracey
Nature
A foundational paper describing how neural pathways may detect and regulate inflammatory activity through reflex-like mechanisms.
Read study summaryValentin A. Pavlov & Kevin J. Tracey
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
A review of cholinergic signalling and its proposed role in cytokine regulation and immune activity.
Read study summaryRESEARCH TOPICS
Move from individual papers into broader Research topics across VNS, taVNS, autonomic regulation, safety, HRV, inflammation and gut–brain communication.