Condition · Evidence Hub
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Heart Health
Does vagus nerve stimulation help with heart health? 29 human studies have investigated VNS for heart health, including 5 systematic reviews, 9 RCTs, and 5 controlled trials, published between 1992 and 2026, with 14 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.
5 systematic reviews · 9 RCTs · 5 controlled trials · 1 observational study · 9 narrative reviews
Evidence by Tier
strongest → weakest
- 5Systematic reviews & meta-analyses
- 9Randomised controlled trials
- 5Controlled clinical trials
- 1Observational & cohort studies
- 9Narrative & scoping reviews
Stimulation Method
- 22taVNS
- 4tcVNS
- 3iVNS
Research Momentum
14 of 29 studies (48%) published since 2022 — an actively growing evidence base.
The studies
29 studies · strongest evidence firstNeuromodulation of heart rate variability: a systematic review
Souza et al. · Autonomic Neuroscience · 2026
systematic reviewstaVNSAssociation between non-invasive auricular stimulation and blood pressure lowering: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Nagai et al. · European Heart Journal Open · 2025 · n = 959
systematic reviewstaVNSEfficacy of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review
Umaña Mejia et al. · Cureus · 2025 · n = 121
systematic reviewstaVNSVagus Nerve Stimulation and Its Cardioprotective Abilities: A Systematic Review
Elamin et al. · Journal of clinical medicine · 2023
systematic reviewstaVNSDoes transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation affect vagally mediated heart rate variability? A living and interactive Bayesian meta-analysis
Wolf et al. · Psychophysiology · 2021
systematic reviewstaVNSThe effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on cardiovascular function in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients: A randomized trial
Tan et al. · eLife · 2025 · n = 24
RCTstaVNSLow-Level Tragus Stimulation Attenuates Blood Pressure in Young Individuals With Hypertension: Results From a Small-Scale Single-Blind Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial
Mbikyo et al. · Journal of the American Heart Association · 2024 · n = 40
RCTstaVNSVagus nerve stimulation: Potential for treating chronic wounds
Budhiraja et al. · Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 2024
RCTsiVNSTREAT AF (Transcutaneous Electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Suppress Atrial Fibrillation): A Randomized Clinical Trial
Stavrakis et al. · JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2020
RCTstaVNSLow-Level Vagus Nerve Stimulation Suppresses Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation and Inflammation: A Randomized Study
Stavrakis et al. · JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2017 · n = 54
RCTstaVNSNon-invasive vagus nerve stimulation acutely improves spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in healthy young men: A randomized placebo-controlled trial
Antonino et al. · Brain Stimulation · 2017 · n = 13
RCTstaVNSEffects of extrinsic cardiac nerve stimulation on atrial fibrillation inducibility: The regulatory role of the spinal cord
Dai et al. · Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology · 2017
RCTstcVNSChronic cyclic vagus nerve stimulation has beneficial electrophysiological effects on healthy hearts in the absence of autonomic imbalance
Lee et al. · Physiological reports · 2016
RCTsiVNSContinuous vagal nerve stimulation affects atrial neural remodeling and reduces atrial fibrillation inducibility in rabbits
Yuan et al. · Cardiovascular pathology : the official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology · 2015
RCTstaVNSAcute Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Two Different Locations on Blood Pressure and Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Healthy and Hypertensive Individuals: Pilot Study of a Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial
Leite Souza et al. · Physiotherapy Research International · 2026 · n = 28
controlled trialstaVNSEar your heart: transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on heart rate variability in healthy young participants
Forte et al. · PeerJ · 2022 · n = 28
controlled trialstaVNSLow-Level Tragus Stimulation Modulates Atrial Alternans and Fibrillation Burden in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Kulkarni et al. · Journal of the American Heart Association · 2021 · n = 28
controlled trialstaVNSEffect of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on muscle activity in the gastrointestinal tract (transVaGa)
Hong et al. · International Journal of Colorectal Disease · 2019 · n = 14
controlled trialstcVNSVagal afferent and reflex responses to changes in surface osmolarity in lower airways of dogs
Pisarri et al. · Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 1992
controlled trialstcVNSSustained blood pressure reduction associated with percutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in hypertensive chronic pain patients: a retrospective dual-center analysis
Berger et al. · Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine · 2026 · n = 24
observational studiestaVNSTranscutaneous Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Changing the Paradigm for Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation Therapies?
Förster · Biomolecules · 2024
narrative reviewstaVNSVagus nerve stimulation for cardiovascular diseases: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
Zafeiropoulos et al. · Trends in cardiovascular medicine · 2024
narrative reviewstaVNSPercutaneous Neuromodulation for Atrial Fibrillation
Zuhair et al. · Cardiac electrophysiology clinics · 2024
narrative reviewstaVNSVagus Nerve Stimulation and Atrial Fibrillation: Revealing the Paradox
Kharbanda et al. · Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society · 2022
narrative reviewstaVNSAutonomic Modulation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Methods to Assess Treatment and Outcomes
Stavrakis et al. · JACC. Clinical electrophysiology · 2020
narrative reviewsiVNSCardiovascular autonomic effects of vagus nerve stimulation
Garamendi-Ruiz et al. · Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2019
narrative reviewstcVNSNeural mechanisms of atrial fibrillation
Park et al. · Current opinion in cardiology · 2012
narrative reviewstaVNSArrhythmias and vagus nerve stimulation
Zhang et al. · Heart failure reviews · 2011
narrative reviewstaVNSVagal stimulation and atrial fibrillation: experimental models and clinical uncertainties
Wilber et al. · Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology · 2002
narrative reviewstaVNS