Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42077201›Full record

ArticleCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2026

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Alleviates Oxidative Stress and Improves Neurological Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice.

Xiaoxuan Li, Yifan Fu, Minghao Xu, Xinyu Xu, Jiuyu Gao, Shilin Liu, Zhige Wang, Chuandong Cheng, Tao Jiang

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In one paragraph

Article in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2026. 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

9 authors.

Xiaoxuan LiDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Yifan FuDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Minghao XuDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Xinyu XuDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Jiuyu GaoDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Shilin LiuDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zhige WangFirst School of Clinical Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Chuandong ChengDepartment of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Tao JiangDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8500-0879

Funding

Anhui Provincial Scientific Research Projects for Universities 2023AH040076Anhui Provincial Scientific Research Projects for Universities 2025CCCX014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTraumatic brain injury (TBI) can trigger secondary oxidative stress and exacerbate neurological dysfunction. This study investigated whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) attenuates oxidative stress and improves neurological recovery after TBI in mice.

methodsThe TBI model was established using a controlled cortical impact (CCI) model. Seventy C57BL/6 mice were divided into the sham group, TBI group, taVNS group, MDHB (pathway agonist, administered alone) group, and ML385 (pathway inhibitor, administered 30 min before each taVNS session) group. Outcomes were assessed by Western blotting, ELISA, immunofluorescence, T2-weighted MRI-based volumetric quantification of edema, and behavioral tests.

resultsTBI markedly increased oxidative stress and neurological impairment, as reflected by reduced serum glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels, increased lesion and edema burden on MRI, and worsened behavioral performance. TaVNS significantly alleviated these changes, increasing GSH and SOD levels, reducing edema burden, and improving mNSS and open-field performance. In addition, taVNS was associated with increased expression of antioxidant-related proteins, including Nrf-2 and HO-1, whereas pharmacological inhibition with ML385 attenuated these beneficial effects.

conclusionThese findings suggest that taVNS may alleviate oxidative stress and improve neurological outcomes after TBI in mice, with possible involvement of the Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway.

Indexed as

Brain Injuries, TraumaticOxidative StressTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationVagus Nerve StimulationAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLNF-E2-Related Factor 2NF-E2-Related Factor 2neural repairNrf‐2/HO‐1 pathwayoxidative stresstranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulationtraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID42077201
PMCPMC13137120

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.