Body of Research

Is transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) supportive in cases of  inflammatory bowel disease? This proof of concept study suggests it can —attenuating signs and symptoms with mild to moderate inflammatory bowel disease. Read more at NIH PubMed.

Read more about a successful study to determine the effective anti-inflammation capacity of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) through development of a stimulating electrode system of transcutaneous auricular VN. Citation: Go YY, Ju WM, Lee CM, Chae SW, Song JJ. Different Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Parameters Modulate the Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammation in Mice. Biomedicines. 2022;10(2):247. Published 2022...

Acute inflammation can turn chronic, as shown in studies such as reported by Harvard Medical School in a special report on Fighting Inflammation: How to stop the damage before it compromises your health. In fact, an exacerbated inflammatory response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is believed to be one of the major causes of the morbidity and mortality of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, inflammation that turns chronic can become a re...

Dr. Jihong Liu, MD, at the Preventative Treatment Center of the Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Foshan, China, et al. have studied the auricular stomach point of rabbits with acute and chronic gastritis to observe the changes in histological and ultrastructure of the auricular point against those in control groups. Results showed histological changes, including mast cells infiltration, hyperplasia of epidermis and dermis and loosed dense connective tissue, were observed in ...

A review of the potential of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), concludes that targeting the anti-inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve with VNS could be of interest in the management of patients with IBD involving the digestive tract through a non-drug therapy. About 1.5 million Americans and 2.2 million people in Europe are affected by IBD. There is a rising incidence of IBD in Western countries, supporting the hypothesis that “Westernization” of our li...

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a severe side effect of chemotherapeutic agents. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) attenuates neuro-inflammation by activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and thus may attenuate CIPN. CIAM note: Although this study focuses on direct VNS at the cervical vagus nerve, the research supports a relatively large body of research surrounding related to other VNS, as well as non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), t...

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by an invasion of the alveolar epithelial cells by coronavirus 19. The most severe outcome of the disease is the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) combined with hypoxemia and cardiovascular damage. ARDS and co-morbidities are associated with inflammatory cytokine storms, sympathetic hyperactivity, and respiratory dysfunction. The authors present and justify a novel potential treatment for Covid19-originated ARDS and associated co-morbidities, ...

Review article on the potential of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in managing depression — and as it possibly relates to pain and other chronic conditions affected by negative emotional affect and psychological conditions such as depression.   Reference: Liu, CH., Yang, MH., Zhang, GZ. et al. Neural networks and the anti-inflammatory effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in depression. J Neuroinflammation 17, 54 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s1...

Chronic inflammatory diseases have been recognized as the most significant cause of death in the world today, with more than 50% of all deaths being attributable to inflammation-related diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions[2]. Evidence is emerging that the risk of developing chronic inflammation can be traced back to early development, and i...

The only place on the body where the vagus nerve (VN) sends its only peripheral branch is on the outer ear. The auricle is where this VN branch surfaces to form a cutaneous receptive field in the pinna of the ear — an area responsive to peripheral nerve stimulation. Thus, the auricle allows for easy access for auricular (and transcutaneous auricular) vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS/taVNS), that relays the stimuli to the brainstem and higher brain regions via extensive projections to second and...

Bioelectronic medicine progressively comes into focus as offering a non-pharmaceutical treatment option for various diseases. Here neuromodulation of the vagus nerve (VN) has gained a special interest. In a comprehensive review technical issues, modeling concepts, regulatory and safety requirements, and novel architectures of open and closed-loop aVNS paradigms, Kaniusas and his colleagues focus on the physiological role of VN including a biology-driven rationale for Auricular Vagus Nerve Sti...