Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40962687›Full record

ArticleNeurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics2025

Neural bridging achieves transcutaneous regulation of vagus nerve function and treatment of depressive disorders.

Fengchi Sun, Xiangmeng Su, Yiyuan Wang, Zhen Pang, Shuai Zhu, Siwei Xu, Xiaoyun Guo, Wendong Xu, Changrui Chen, Yundong Shen

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Fengchi SunDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Xiangmeng SuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Yiyuan WangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Zhen PangDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Shuai ZhuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Siwei XuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Xiaoyun GuoShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China.
Wendong XuDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Changrui ChenDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Yundong ShenDepartment of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; Department of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Jing'an District Center Hospital, Shanghai 200040, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Limbs Reconstruction, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Peripheral Nerve and Microsurgery, Shanghai 200032, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Shanghai 200040, China; Institute of Hand Surgery, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; National Clinical Research Centre for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China. Electronic address: yundongshen@fudan.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) represents a neuromodulation technique that has shown potential in the treatment of various diseases. However, conventional VNS therapy is constrained by the requirement for implanted electrodes, primarily due to the scarcity of appropriate vagal cutaneous branches. Here, a neural bridging method was employed to connect the sensory nerve with the vagus nerve, thereby facilitating transcutaneous modulation of autonomic nerve function and addressing depressive disorders. Results showed that end-to-side neurorrhaphy induced robust axonal regeneration while preserving vagus nerve integrity. Neural tracing confirmed cervical nerve-to-nucleus tractus solitarius projections. Postoperative auricular stimulation significantly evoked 3.46-fold higher c-Fos+ neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius versus sham controls. In depressed mice, this approach normalized behavioral deficits. Further investigations revealed concomitant improvements in non-rapid eye movement sleep architecture and suppression of hippocampal neuroinflammatory pathways (e.g., TNF, RNA-seq p ​< ​0.001). Together, this study developed a neural-bridging approach in mice that surgically connected a cutaneous sensory nerve to the cervical vagus nerve. Subsequent gentle auricular stimulation robustly activated the brainstem vagal nucleus and improved depression-like behaviors and sleep, alongside reduced hippocampal inflammatory signaling. As a preclinical proof-of-concept study, translational feasibility and long-term safety in humans require rigorous evaluation.

Indexed as

Depressive DisorderTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationVagus NerveVagus Nerve StimulationAnimalsMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLSolitary NucleusDepressionNeural bridgingNeuroinflammationNon-rapid eye movement sleepTranscutaneous regulationVagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID40962687
PMCPMC12664496

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.