Trial reportInternational journal of surgery (London, England)2026
Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation improves functional dyspepsia with sleep disturbance via enhanced vagal activity: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in International journal of surgery (London, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Low Dose Ketamine Preconditions Astrocyte Mitochondria to Achieve Antidepressant Efficacy via Adenosine, Humanin, and Melatonin Upregulation and Efflux.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Bridging the gap from mechanism to clinic: a translational perspective on taVNS for gastrointestinal disorders.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Noninvasive electrical neuromodulation involving vagus nerve mechanism for functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2026Review
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing thyroid surgery by inhibiting the inflammatory response: a randomized controlled trial.American journal of translational research · 2026Article
- Stratifying the Inflamed Endotype in Difficult-to-Treat Depression: A Roadmap from Biomarkers to Precision Immunopsychiatry.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFunctional dyspepsia (FD) is often comorbid with sleep disturbance. Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a new and non-invasive therapeutic option. This study aimed to investigate its effects and possible mechanisms on FD with sleep disturbance.
methodsThis was a prospective, single-center, single-blind, and randomized controlled trial. Fifty-four FD patients with sleep disturbance were randomly divided to receive 4-week taVNS or transcutaneous non-vagal nerve stimulation (tnVNS). The primary outcomes included Nepean Dyspepsia Index Symptom (NDIS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcomes were composed of Nepean Dyspepsia Index Quality of Life (NDIQOL), Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA), Depression (HAMD), autonomic functions, gastric slow waves, gastric accommodation, and serum melatonin.
resultsCompared with tnVNS: (1) taVNS resulted in a lower NDIS and PSQI scores ( P < 0.05); it also reduced HAMD and HAMA scores but increased NDIQOL score ( P < 0.05). (2) taVNS increased the percentage of normal gastric slow waves (NSW%), the maximum tolerable volume, the serum melatonin level, and the high-frequency (HF, reflecting vagal activity) component in the fasting state ( P < 0.05). In taVNS group, the HF in the fasting state was positively correlated with the NSW% and the melatonin level.
conclusiontaVNS is effective and safe for the treatment of FD with sleep disturbance. The effect may be attributed to the dual neuromodulating effects of taVNS on both the gut and the brain via enhanced vagal activity.
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Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.