Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41492358›Full record

ArticleNeurobiology of stress2026

Multi-omics reveals associations between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and antidepressant effects of vagus nerve stimulation.

Dan Pan, Mingchen Jiang, Ying Wang, Junyuan He, Jumei Tang, Siyu Liu, Mingxia Li, Xing Jiang, Qiuyue Xu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurobiology of stress, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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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

9 authors.

Dan PanSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Mingchen JiangDepartment of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Ying WangSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Junyuan HeSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Jumei TangSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Siyu LiuSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Mingxia LiSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Xing JiangSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Qiuyue XuSchool of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder is a severe mental health condition characterized by persistent depressed mood and loss of interest. Current first-line pharmacotherapies often exhibit limited therapeutic performance and adverse side effects. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a promising, safe, and noninvasive alternative intervention with demonstrated neuromodulatory efficacy. Nevertheless, its mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated whether the antidepressant properties of taVNS are associated with the microbiota-gut-brain axis, focusing on the potential crosstalk between differentially expressed hippocampal proteins and the gut microbiota. Methods: A chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model of depression was established, and taVNS was administered for 14 days. Hippocampal proteomic profiling was performed using data-independent acquisition. Fecal metagenomic sequencing was conducted to characterize alterations in gut microbial communities. Key signaling pathways were validated using Western blot, qRT-PCR, HE staining, and transmission electron microscopy, all of which were employed to systematically assess behavioral, proteomic, microbial, and molecular changes. Results: Proteomics and molecular analyses revealed that taVNS upregulated hippocampal expression of glutamate ionotropic receptor N-methyl-D-aspartate type subunit 1 (GluN1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), while simultaneously restoring mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling activity. Metagenomic profiling demonstrated that taVNS increased the abundance of Conclusion: TaVNS significantly alleviated depression-like behaviors in CUMS-exposed rats. The underlying mechanism may involve the restoration of synaptic function of glutamatergic neurons by regulating the GluN1/MAPK/BDNF signaling pathway. In addition, taVNS reshaped the gut microbiota, markedly increasing the abundance of

Indexed as

Major depressive disorderMicrobiota-gut-brain axisTranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID41492358
PMCPMC12765250

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.