ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurorehabilitation
Efficacy of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Treating Patients with Post-Stroke Motor Disorders: A Prospective Study
1. Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
2. Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract
Background: While conventional rehabilitation offers limited benefits for neural plasticity in post-stroke motor recovery, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) emerges as a promising non-invasive neuromodulatory technique. This prospective study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of taVNS for functional recovery in this population. Methods: From February 2023 to November 2024, 139 eligible patients with post-stroke motor disorders were randomized into a taVNS group (n=70) or a conventional rehabilitation group (n=69). All participants underwent a 4-week intervention. Primary outcomes included neuroelectrophysiological parameters (motor evoked potential latency and amplitude), clinical assessments (Action Research Arm Test, Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity, Modified Barthel Index), and serum biomarkers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, S100-β). Subgroup analysis based on post-treatment FMA-UE scores and correlation analyses were performed. Results: Post-intervention, the taVNS group demonstrated significantly greater improvements than the rehabilitation group: reduced MEP latency (P<0.05) and increased MEP amplitude (P<0.05); superior gains in ARAT, FMA-UE, and MBI scores (all P<0.05); elevated BDNF levels and decreased S100-β levels (both P<0.05). Within-group analysis confirmed significant post-treatment improvements in clinical scores for both groups, but the magnitude of change was substantially larger in the taVNS group for all measures (P<0.001). Adverse event incidence was comparable between groups (11.43% vs. 8.70%, P>0.05). Functional scores were consistently negatively correlated with MEP latency and S100-β, and positively correlated with MEP amplitude and BDNF at baseline, post-treatment, and for change values (all P<0.05). Conclusion: taVNS is an effective and safe adjunctive therapy that enhances neuroelectrophysiological function, improves motor and daily living abilities, and favorably modulates biomarkers related to neural injury and repair in post-stroke motor recovery. The integrated correlations support its incorporation into standard neurorehabilitation protocols.
Summary
Keywords
Motor disorders, neural plasticity, Rehabilitation training, Stroke, Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation
Received
23 September 2025
Accepted
03 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Xue and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Jingxi Ma
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