ARTICLE

Volume 11,Issue 3

Cite this article
3
Citations
17
Views
26 March 2026

Research Progress of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Depression

Heng Li1 Chao Wang2*
Show Less
1 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, Sichuan, China
2 Sichuan Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
APM 2026 , 11(3), 80–86; https://doi.org/10.18063/APM.v11i3.1651
© 2026 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Depression is one of the most prevalent and severe mental disorders worldwide, with its epidemiological burden increasing significantly. Existing treatment modalities are associated with issues such as prolonged treatment duration, drug tolerance, and poor adherence. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a safe, low-cost, and non-invasive physical therapy developed from vagus nerve stimulation techniques. This review primarily elucidates the regulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on depression and its applications in the treatment of depression.

Keywords
taVNS
Depression
Research progress
References

[1] Tan C, Qiao M, Ma Y, et al., 2023, The Efficacy and Safety of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 337: 37–49.

[2] Huang Y, Wang Y, Wang H, et al., 2019, Prevalence of Mental Disorders in China: A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(3): 211–224.

[3] Shen WY, Zeng YX, Li WH, et al., 2021, Analysis of the Current Status and Trends of Depression Burden in China Based on GBD Big Data. Occupational and Health, 37(8): 1087–1092.

[4] Tian W, Yan G, Xiong S, et al., 2026, Burden of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in China and Its Provinces, 1990–2021: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 228(1): 18–28.

[5] McIntyre RS, Alsuwaidan M, Baune BT, et al., 2023, Treatment-resistant Depression: Definition, Prevalence, Detection, Management, and Investigational Interventions. World Psychiatry, 22(3): 394–412.

[6] Nierenberg AA, Husain MM, Trivedi MH, et al., 2010, Residual Symptoms After Remission of Major Depressive Disorder With Citalopram and Risk of Relapse: A STAR*D Report. Psychological Medicine, 40(1): 41–50.

[7] Yao Y, Yang CY, Xu YQ, et al., 2020, Controlled Observation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Cognitive Function Improvement in Elderly Patients With Depression. International Journal of Psychiatry, 47(1): 67–70.

[8] Chang N, Zhao LL, Hu J, et al., 2021, Effects of Paroxetine Combined With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Behavioral Management and Self-efficacy in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease and Depression. Practical Drugs and Clinical Medicine, 24(10): 929–932.

[9] Meng QS, Liu Q, Xin KP, 2025, The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Combined With Psychological Support on the Quality of Life in Elderly Patients With Depression. Psychological Monthly, 20(13): 162–164.

[10] V RJ, Mathias EG, Bhavana RS, et al., 2025, Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Systematic Review Based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation. Scientifica, 2693791.

[11] Bickman L, 2020, Improving Mental Health Services: A 50-year Journey From Randomized Experiments to Artificial Intelligence and Precision Mental Health. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 47(5): 795–843.

[12] Kim T, Bae S, Kim HA, et al., 2024, Mindful Diary: Harnessing Large Language Models to Support Psychiatric Patients’ Journaling. In CHI 2024 – Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery, the Republic of Korea.

[13] Habicht J, Dina LM, McFadyen J, et al., 2025, Generative AI-enabled Therapy Support Tool for Improved Clinical Outcomes and Patient Engagement in Group Therapy: A Real-world Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27: e60435.

[14] Trapp NT, Purgianto A, Taylor JJ, et al., 2025, Consensus Review and Considerations on TMS to Treat Depression: A Comprehensive Update Endorsed by the National Network of Depression Centers, the Clinical TMS Society, and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Clinical Neurophysiology, 170: 206–233.

[15] Vida RG, Saghy E, Bella R, et al., 2023, Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Adjunctive Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) After Two Antidepressant Treatment Failures: Meta-analysis of Randomized Sham-controlled Trials. BMC Psychiatry, 23: 545.

[16] Ventureyra EC, 2000, Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Partial Onset Seizure Therapy. A New Concept. Child’s Nervous System, 16(2): 101–102.

[17] Chen Y, Zhang Y, Wang J, et al., 2023, Anti-neuroinflammatory Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Against Depression-like Behaviors via Hypothalamic α7nAchR/JAK2/STAT3/NF-κB Pathway in Rats Exposed to Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 29(9): 2634–2644.

[18] Rong P, Liu J, Wang L, et al., 2016, Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Major Depressive Disorder: A Non-randomized Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 195: 172–179.

[19] Conway CR, Sheline YI, Chibnall JT, et al., 2012, Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow With Acute Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Treatment-refractory Major Depressive Disorder. Brain Stimulation, 5(2): 163–171.

[20] Conway CR, Sheline YI, Chibnall JT, et al., 2006, Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow During Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression. Psychiatry Research, 146(2): 179–184.

[21] Lomarev M, Denslow S, Nahas Z, et al., 2002, Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Synchronized BOLD fMRI Suggests That VNS in Depressed Adults Has Frequency/dose-dependent Effects. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 36(4): 219–227.

[22] Mu Q, Bohning DE, Nahas Z, et al., 2004, Acute Vagus Nerve Stimulation Using Different Pulse Widths Produces Varying Brain Effects. Biological Psychiatry, 55(8): 816–825.

[23] He W, Jing XH, Zhu B, et al., 2013, The Auriculo-vagal Afferent Pathway and Its Role in Seizure Suppression in Rats. BMC Neuroscience, 14: 85.

[24] Conway CR, Chibnall JT, Gebara MA, et al., 2013, Association of Cerebral Metabolic Activity Changes With Vagus Nerve Stimulation Antidepressant Response in Treatment-resistant Depression. Brain Stimulation, 6(5): 788–797.

[25] Landau AM, Dyve S, Jakobsen S, et al., 2015, Acute Vagal Nerve Stimulation Reduces α2 Adrenoceptor Availability: Possible Mechanism of Therapeutic Action. Brain Stimulation, 8(4): 702–707.

[26] Dietrich S, Smith J, Scherzinger C, et al., 2008, A Novel Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Leads to Brainstem and Cerebral Activations Measured by Functional MRI. Biomedizinische Technik, 53(3): 104–111.

[27] Kraus T, Hosl K, Kiess O, et al., 2007, BOLD fMRI Deactivation of Limbic and Temporal Brain Structures and Mood-enhancing Effect by Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Journal of Neural Transmission, 114(11): 1485–1493.

[28] Kraus T, Kiess O, Hosl K, et al., 2013, CNS BOLD fMRI Effects of Sham-controlled Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in the Left Outer Auditory Canal-a Pilot Study. Brain Stimulation, 6(5): 798–804.

[29] Hein E, Nowak M, Kiess O, et al., 2013, Auricular Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Depressed Patients: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Neural Transmission, 120(5): 821–827.

[30] Rong P, Liu J, Wang L, et al., 2016, Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Major Depressive Disorder: A Non-randomized Controlled Pilot Study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 195: 172–179.

[31] Tan C, Qiao M, Ma Y, et al., 2023, Efficacy and Safety of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 337: 37–49.

[32] Evensen K, Jørgensen MB, Sabers A, et al., 2022, Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Treatment-resistant Depression: A Feasibility Study. Neuromodulation, 25(3): 443–449.

[33] Xiao X, Hou X, Zhang Z, et al., 2020, Efficacy and Brain Mechanism of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Adolescents With Mild to Moderate Depression: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Pediatric Investigation, 4(2): 109–117.

[34] Austelle CW, Cox SS, Connolly DJ, et al., 2025, Accelerated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Inpatient Depression and Anxiety: The iWAVE Open-label Pilot Trial. Neuromodulation, 28(4): 672–681.

[35] Kim AY, Marduy A, de Melo PS, et al., 2022, Safety of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 12(1): 22055.

Share
Back to top