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Background <p>Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a novel noninvasive therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported inconsistent results on their effects. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of taVNS on motor and gait outcomes in PD.</p> Methods <p>This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251184160). The RCTs evaluating taVNS in patients with PD were systematically searched in PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases up to October 15, 2025. The primary outcomes were motor function, gait ability, and gait parameters. Data were pooled using a fixed-effects model and expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI); random-effects models were additionally applied as sensitivity analyses. Risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated with the GRADE framework.</p> Results <p>A total of 7 RCTs involving 183 patients with PD were included. The meta-analysis showed that taVNS significantly improved motor function (MDS-UPDRS Part III: MD =  − 2.64, 95% CI − 4.23 to − 1.05, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001) and increased stride length (MD = 0.13&#xa0;m, 95% CI 0.05–0.22, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001), whereas its effect on gait speed was not statistically significant. The overall risk of bias was low; however, due to the relatively small sample sizes, the certainty of evidence was rated as moderate according to the GRADE framework.</p> Conclusion <p>taVNS may provide modest benefits for PD, with improvements observed in motor function and stride length, but no clear effect on gait speed. Given the limited evidence, larger high-quality trials are needed to confirm its clinical value.</p>

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Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on motor and gait performance in Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月10日

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  • Chunhua Liu,
  • Yue Jin,
  • Huajian Lin,
  • Yongfei Zheng,
  • Qianqian Gao,
  • Tingting Huang

摘要

Background

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a novel noninvasive therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported inconsistent results on their effects. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of taVNS on motor and gait outcomes in PD.

Methods

This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251184160). The RCTs evaluating taVNS in patients with PD were systematically searched in PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases up to October 15, 2025. The primary outcomes were motor function, gait ability, and gait parameters. Data were pooled using a fixed-effects model and expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI); random-effects models were additionally applied as sensitivity analyses. Risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated with the GRADE framework.

Results

A total of 7 RCTs involving 183 patients with PD were included. The meta-analysis showed that taVNS significantly improved motor function (MDS-UPDRS Part III: MD =  − 2.64, 95% CI − 4.23 to − 1.05, P < 0.001) and increased stride length (MD = 0.13 m, 95% CI 0.05–0.22, P < 0.001), whereas its effect on gait speed was not statistically significant. The overall risk of bias was low; however, due to the relatively small sample sizes, the certainty of evidence was rated as moderate according to the GRADE framework.

Conclusion

taVNS may provide modest benefits for PD, with improvements observed in motor function and stride length, but no clear effect on gait speed. Given the limited evidence, larger high-quality trials are needed to confirm its clinical value.