A pilot study of brain correlates of long-term treatment with transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in posttraumatic stress disorder
Bremner JD, Wittbrodt MT, Gurel NZ, Nye JA, Shandhi MMH, Gazi AH, Shah AJ, Amorim V, Pearce BD, Vaccarino V, et al.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · 2026
Key finding
Three months of active tcVNS reduced activation in fear-mediating brain regions during trauma-script exposure relative to sham in PTSD patients.
- Condition
- PTSD
- Stimulation
- tcVNS
- Evidence tier
- Controlled Clinical Trial
- Participants
- 11
Cite this study
Bremner, J. D., Wittbrodt, M. T., Gurel, N. Z., Nye, J. A., Shandhi, M. M. H., Gazi, A. H., Shah, A. J., Amorim, V., Pearce, B. D., Vaccarino, V., & Inan, O. T. (2026). A pilot study of brain correlates of long-term treatment with transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 24, 101014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101014
Related studies in PTSD
Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation for the treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders: systematic review of randomised controlled studies
Benzouak et al. · BJPsych Open · 2025 · Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis
Vagus nerve stimulation in psychiatry: a systematic review of the available evidence
Cimpianu et al. · Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2017 · Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis
Effects of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in World Trade Center Responders: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study
Debnath et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2026 · Randomised Controlled Trial
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Does Not Accelerate Fear Extinction
D'Agostini et al. · Psychophysiology · 2025 · Randomised Controlled Trial
Summary by Vagus Research. Always consult the primary source for the authoritative record.