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Research / Scientific Studies Library
Scientific Studies Library
This library collects individual published papers related to the vagus nerve, autonomic regulation, vagus nerve stimulation, HRV, inflammation, gut–brain communication, and related areas of nervous system research. Each study page is designed to make the literature easier to browse, understand, and place in context.
Current library: 9 studiesGrouped by research trackBuilt to expand over time
In plain English
How to read this library
Each study page separates the paper, the research context and the boundary. That makes the library useful for learning without turning individual findings into product claims.
Read the boundary
Study summaries explain what a paper can support and what it cannot prove.
Follow the pathway
Use related links to move from one paper into broader research topics and plain-language guides.
About this library
A calmer, more structured way to explore the published literature
Review articles and overview pages explain larger ideas. Individual studies show how those ideas are actually investigated: what researchers measured, how studies were designed, what findings mattered, and where uncertainty remains.
The aim of this library is to make the literature easier to access without flattening it into oversimplified claims. It is intended as a structured educational resource rather than a substitute for original source reading.
Study page structure
Research objective
Study design or structure
Main findings
Scientific impact
Limitations and context
Reference details and source links
Research tracks
The current library is organized around clear research paths
Foundational frameworks
Landmark papers that shaped how researchers think about vagal pathways, autonomic regulation, emotional regulation, and brain–body communication.
Autonomic regulation and HRV
Core studies on heart rate variability, autonomic flexibility, and physiological regulation.
Inflammation and neuroimmune signaling
Research on the inflammatory reflex, cytokine signaling, acetylcholine, and vagus-related immune regulation.
Vagus nerve stimulation
Studies on implanted and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, including auricular stimulation and neuromodulation.
Gut–brain axis
Research on communication between the digestive system, brain, microbiome, immune signaling, and vagal pathways.
Featured foundational studies
A first set of landmark papers that shaped the broader conversation
Foundation1995
Orienting in a Defensive World: The Polyvagal Theory
Stephen W. Porges
Psychophysiology
A landmark theoretical framework linking vagal pathways with safety, social engagement, mobilization, and shutdown states.
Read summaryHRV1996
Heart Rate Variability: Standards of Measurement, Physiological Interpretation, and Clinical Use
Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and NASPE
Circulation
The foundational methodological reference for HRV research and one of the central papers in autonomic physiology.
Read summaryAutonomic regulation2000
A Model of Neurovisceral Integration in Emotion Regulation
Julian F. Thayer & Richard D. Lane
Journal of Affective Disorders
An influential model connecting emotional regulation, autonomic flexibility, HRV, and vagal regulation.
Read summaryNeuroimmune2002
The Inflammatory Reflex
Kevin J. Tracey
Nature
A landmark concept describing how neural circuits, including vagal pathways, may participate in immune regulation.
Read summaryCurrent library
Current studies grouped into research tracks
Foundational frameworks
Foundation1995
Orienting in a Defensive World: The Polyvagal Theory
Stephen W. Porges
Psychophysiology
A foundational theory linking vagal pathways with safety, defensive responses, and the social engagement system.
Read summaryAutonomic regulation2000
A Model of Neurovisceral Integration in Emotion Regulation
Julian F. Thayer & Richard D. Lane
Journal of Affective Disorders
A key theoretical model linking the brain, emotional regulation, vagal activity, and autonomic flexibility.
Read summaryAutonomic regulation and HRV
HRV1996
Heart Rate Variability: Standards of Measurement, Physiological Interpretation, and Clinical Use
Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and NASPE
Circulation
The foundational methodological paper behind HRV research across autonomic physiology, stress, sleep, and regulation studies.
Read summaryInflammation and neuroimmune signaling
Neuroimmune2000
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Attenuates the Systemic Inflammatory Response
L. V. Borovikova et al.
Nature
A landmark experimental study suggesting that vagus nerve signaling may influence inflammatory cytokine release.
Read summaryNeuroimmune2002
The Inflammatory Reflex
Kevin J. Tracey
Nature
A foundational concept describing how neural pathways may detect and regulate inflammatory activity through reflex-like mechanisms.
Read summaryNeuroimmune2005
The Cholinergic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway
Valentin A. Pavlov & Kevin J. Tracey
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
A major review describing how vagal cholinergic signaling may influence cytokine release and immune regulation.
Read summaryVagus nerve stimulation
Stimulation2015
Non-Invasive Access to the Vagus Nerve via the Ear: fMRI Evidence
E. Frangos, J. Ellrich, B. Komisaruk
Brain Stimulation
Important neuroimaging evidence supporting the idea that ear-based stimulation may influence brain regions associated with vagal pathways.
Read summaryStimulation2005
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression
A. John Rush et al.
Biological Psychiatry
A widely cited clinical study examining implanted vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression.
Read summaryGut–brain axis
Gut–brain2011
Gut Feelings: The Emerging Biology of Gut–Brain Communication
Emeran A. Mayer
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
A major review explaining how neural, hormonal, microbial, and immune pathways connect the digestive system with the brain.
Read summaryHow this library fits the wider system
The studies library is designed to work together with broader research and learning pathways
Individual studies matter most when they can be placed in context. That is why this library sits inside a broader system that includes research overviews, learning pages, and condition-level content.
Over time, this structure should make it easier to move from broad understanding into topic-specific evidence and then into individual papers without losing the larger picture.
Connected layers
Research hub
The main research page explains the broader evidence layer and how it supports learning, topic development, and the larger Neuvago system.
Go to research hubLearn
The learning system translates foundational ideas such as regulation, vagal signaling, stress, sleep, and recovery into everyday language.
Go to learning hubConditions
Condition pages connect broader science and nervous system concepts to recognizable lived experiences such as stress, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and burnout.
Browse conditionsLibrary note
This library is intended for educational use and is designed to expand over time across major research areas related to vagus nerve signaling, autonomic regulation, inflammation, stimulation, and brain–body communication.