The effect of vagus nerve stimulation on the rehabilitation of stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

This meta-analysis aims to systematically evaluate the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on limb motor function, activities of daily living (ADL), swallowing capacity, and emotional status in stroke patients DATA SOURCES: The search was performed in electronic databases EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed from inception to December 19, 2025. All RCTs applied VNS plus rehabilitation in stroke were included. Two researchers independently extracted data following a predeveloped Excel data collection sheet, including basic information, research design, patient demographic characteristic, the intervention details for the experimental group and the control group, time of measurement and evaluation of relevant results. The risk of bias was evaluated by RoB2 tool, and the PRISMA guidelines were followed for reporting. A random-effects model was employed to pool the data from individual studies. Data were analyzed using Stata 18.0 software. A total of 16 RCTs involving 819 patients were included. The results showed that patients receiving VNS had significant improvements in FMA-UE (MD = 5.00; 95% CI = 2.10 - 7.89; P < 0.01) and WMFT (SMD = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.39 - 1.66; P < 0.01). VNS also exhibited beneficial effects on ADL (SMD=0.91; 95%CI=0.47-1.34; P < 0.01) and post-stroke depression(SMD=-1.18; 95% CI: -1.91∼-0.44; P < 0.01). VNS can significantly improve FMA-UE, WMFT and ADL in stroke patients. Additionally, VNS demonstrated significant benefits in enhancing BBT, FMA-L and alleviating depressive symptoms. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials are warranted to optimize treatment protocols by exploring key parameters.