Ear-Level Nerve Stimulation for Mental Health: What the Science Says (and What It Doesn’t)
A quick take for clinicians and curious readers A new class of health devices delivers gentle electrical pulses to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve at the outer ear: so-called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). Early trials in psychiatry-adjacent outcomes (insomnia, depressive symptoms, autonomic dysregulation) are promising, while safety appears favorable. But effects vary by device settings and population, and larger, multisite trials are still needed. Why...
