Acute Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation at Two Different Sites on Blood Pressure and Cardiac Autonomic Modulation in Hypertensive Individuals: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind Clinical Trial.

Authors

Paulo Henrique Leite Souza, Raphael Mendes Ritti-Dias, Bruno Paulino Venâncio, Felipe Fregni, Marcio Gonçalves de Souza, Fernanda Marciano Consolim-Colombo, João Carlos Ferrari Corrêa, Fernanda Ishida Corrêa

Published in

Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society. Aug 20, 2026. Epub Aug 20, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the acute effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) in hypertensive individuals at two auricular sites.
Eighty-four hypertensive adults underwent three taVNS sessions applied to the tragus, cymba conchae, and earlobe (control), with one-week intervals between sessions. Systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), HR, peripheral oxygen saturation, autonomic function, and HRV were assessed before, during, and after stimulation. HRV analysis included time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear indices.
Participants exhibited baseline sympathetic predominance and reduced HRV. Stimulation at the cymba conchae produced greater reductions in SBP and DBP than at the other sites (p < 0.05), without significantly affecting HRV parameters.
A single taVNS session did not produce clinically meaningful changes in autonomic function. However, stimulation at the cymba conchae showed greater potential for BP reduction. Further studies using longer and more robust protocols are warranted.

PMID:
42886085
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Oct 2026.

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