Two paths to the body's superhighway-the auricular branch (taVNS) and the cervical bundle (tcVNS): a narrative review.

Authors

Peter S Staats, Justyna Blake

Published in

Frontiers in neuroscience. Volume 20. Pages 1848801. Epub Jul 15, 2026.

Abstract

Interest in the vagus nerve has recently surged, particularly with the advent of non-invasive transcutaneous VNS (tVNS), which has broadened access and facilitated research across a range of conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), migraine, chronic pain, and inflammatory disorders. tVNS primarily utilizes two pathways: the auricular branch (taVNS) and the cervical bundle (tcVNS). This paper provides a narrative review of tcVNS and taVNS stimulation. While both target the same cranial nerve, they differ significantly in their anatomical access points and methodological implementations.

PMID:
42529707
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.

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