Condition · Evidence Hub
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Does vagus nerve stimulation help with chronic fatigue syndrome? 15 human studies have investigated VNS for chronic fatigue syndrome, including 2 systematic reviews, 5 RCTs, and 7 controlled trials, published between 1987 and 2026, with 11 published since 2022. Studies use transcutaneous auricular (taVNS), transcutaneous cervical (tcVNS), and implanted (iVNS) stimulation. Findings vary by study design and population; the studies below are ranked by evidence strength so you can weigh the research directly.
2 systematic reviews · 5 RCTs · 7 controlled trials · 1 observational study
Evidence by Tier
strongest → weakest
- 2Systematic reviews & meta-analyses
- 5Randomised controlled trials
- 7Controlled clinical trials
- 1Observational & cohort studies
Stimulation Method
- 12taVNS
- 2tcVNS
- 1iVNS
Research Momentum
11 of 15 studies (73%) published since 2022 — an actively growing evidence base.
The studies
15 studies · strongest evidence firstPotential application of brain-gut axis-based treatments in Long COVID and ME/CFS: a case-based systematic review
Kim et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2026 · n = 790
systematic reviewstaVNSComplementary and alternative medicine for long COVID: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Yang et al. · Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2023 · n = 1,195
systematic reviewstaVNSEvidence of bottom-up homeostatic modulation induced taVNS during emotional and Go/No-Go tasks
Camargo et al. · Experimental brain research · 2024
RCTstaVNSThe effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on fatigue in participants with primary Sjogren's syndrome
Tarn et al. · Neuromodulation · 2023 · n = 40
RCTstcVNSOptimizing Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Contreras et al. · JMIR research protocols · 2023 · n = 10
RCTsiVNSVagal nerve stimulation as a possible non-invasive treatment for chronic widespread pain in Gulf veterans with Gulf War Illness
Natelson et al. · Life Sciences · 2021 · n = 27
RCTstcVNSGulf War Illness: Neurological Impacts, Pathophysiological Insights, and Therapeutic Prospects
Mantilla et al. · Molecular neurobiology · 2026
controlled trialstaVNSRetracted: Chronic Epipharyngitis Treated with Epipharyngeal Abrasion Therapy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Pathogenesis, and Treatment Outcomes
Harabuchi et al. · JMA journal · 2025
controlled trialstaVNSNeuropsychiatric Lyme Disease and Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Biniaz-Harris et al. · Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
controlled trialstaVNSAchieving symptom relief in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis by targeting the neuro-immune interface and optimizing disease tolerance
Rodriguez et al. · Oxford open immunology · 2023
controlled trialstaVNSThirty years of translational research in Mobility Medicine: Collection of abstracts of the 2020 Padua Muscle Days
Carraro · European journal of translational myology · 2020
controlled trialstaVNSTNF(alpha) modulation of visceral and spinal sensory processing
Hermann et al. · Current pharmaceutical design · 2005
controlled trialstaVNSReflex gastric relaxation in response to distention of the duodenum
De Ponti et al. · The American journal of physiology · 1987
controlled trialstaVNSAdjunctive cenobamate in highly active and ultra-refractory focal epilepsy: A "real-world" retrospective study
Peña-Ceballos et al. · Epilepsia · 2023
observational studiestaVNS