Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2026
Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Electroencephalographic Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: July 11, 2025
Short-term changes in CRS-R scores during transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in prolonged disorders of
Weihang Zhai1, Meng Li2, Guowei Lü2
1Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Objectives:
To describe short-term behavioral changes observed during a 2-week transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) intervention in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC) and to exploratorily compare these changes across baseline diagnostic states.
Methods:
This single-center, single-arm, open-label exploratory study included 50 patients with pDOC (25 with VS/UWS, 16 with MCS-, and 9 with MCS+) who received taVNS in addition to standard care for 2 weeks. CRS-R assessments were conducted at baseline, week 1, and week 2. The primary outcome was the longitudinal change in the CRS-R total score across the three assessment time points.
Results:
At week 2, the mean change in CRS-R total score from baseline was 2.40 ± 2.08 points (95% CI, 1.81-2.99), with no significant difference among the diagnostic groups. Upward diagnostic transitions occurred in 9/25 (36.0%) patients with VS/UWS (VS → MCS-, n = 7; VS → MCS+, n = 2) and Six of 16 (37.5%) patients with MCS- transitioned to MCS+, but in none of the patients with MCS+.
Conclusion:
Short-term CRS-R changes and diagnostic transitions were observed during the 2-week taVNS intervention. Because the study lacked a control group and used unblinded outcome assessment, these changes cannot be attributed specifically to taVNS. The subgroup and early-outcome analyses are exploratory and require confirmation in adequately powered, sham-controlled studies with blinded assessment and longer follow-up.
