Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2026
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in World Trade Center Responders: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study.
Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05212714 (Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) to Reduce Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in World Trade Center (WTC) Responders
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Autonomic and neural responses to varying transcutaneous cervical electrical stimulation parameters.Bioelectronic medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundResponders to the September 11, 2001, WTC attacks experience high rates of PTSD, and existing treatments often lead to high dropout and low care use.
objectivesThis randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial assesses the feasibility and acceptability of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) as a potential PTSD treatment for 9/11 responders.
methodsA total of 32 WTC responders aged 18+ with PTSD, recruited via the World Trade Center Health Program, participated; those with current psychosis, unstable medical conditions, or recent trial involvement were excluded. Participants were randomly assigned to taVNS or sham groups and asked to use the device for 15 min daily for 8 weeks, with staff and participants blinded. Primary outcomes included recruitment, adherence, retention, and feedback. Secondary outcomes examined changes in depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and sleep (PSQI). Data were analyzed with mixed-effects models focusing on PTSD and mental health symptoms.
resultsThe taVNS group showed modest PTSD improvement, with a 10-point CAPS-5 reduction in 40% of stimulation participants versus 28.5% sham; no significant differences in self-reported symptoms were found. DISCUSSION: Daily taVNS over eight weeks is feasible and acceptable, warranting larger studies to detect differences and identify subgroups with greater benefit.
trial registration"taVNS to Reduce PTSD Symptoms in WTC Responders" (NCT05212714); registered 9 September 2021.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
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.