Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on the improvement of cognitive function in older patients with schizophrenia: A randomised controlled study

作者：Wei Xiang, Junjie Yang, Y. Chen, Shengke Pan, Li Bai, Shixing Qian, Yuchao Shi, Xinyi Cao, Yuan Shen, Xiaochen Tang, Wei Li, Chang Li · 发表于：General Psychiatry · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1002/gps3.70003 · 研究领域：Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research、Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies、Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research

Aims: To investigate the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in improving cognitive function in older inpatients with schizophrenia. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: Cognitive improvement in hospitalised older patients with schizophrenia in Shanghai. Participants: Fifty-one older inpatients with schizophrenia in Shanghai Mental Health Center. Intervention: The taVNS electrodes were placed on the skin with vagus nerve distribution in the taVNS group, whereas the electrodes were placed on the skin without vagus nerve distribution in the sham taVNS group. taVNS parameters included 25 Hz, the maximum tolerated current intensity (apparatus maximum load current ≤ 6 mA) and one 30-min session per day for 2 weeks, for a total of 10 interventions. Measurements: The primary outcome was a neurocognitive assessment. Safety was the secondary outcome measure. After each treatment session, adverse reactions were assessed using the self-administered Adverse Reaction Assessment Scale. Four subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery were further considered: reaction time (RTI), paired associate learning (PAL), multitasking test (MTT) and spatial working memory (SWM). Results: < 0.001). Compared to the sham taVNS, taVNS improved SWM performance in older patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the SWM performance after a single session of taVNS showed fewer errors in the taVNS group, whereas no such improvement w...