{"id":255,"date":"2025-08-27T06:20:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?p=255"},"modified":"2025-08-27T06:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T13:20:38","slug":"gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/","title":{"rendered":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A simple pulse through the skin may one day soothe stubborn stomach pain.<\/p>\n<p>A new review in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xiahepublishing.com\/2994-8754\/JTG-2025-00024\">Journal of Translational Gastroenterology<\/a> finds that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS), a non-invasive way of activating the vagus nerve, shows promising results for gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical trials suggest that tVNS can reduce abdominal pain, improve motility, and even calm gut inflammation in conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia (FD), gastroparesis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).<\/p>\n<h2>How the Vagus Nerve Shapes the Gut<\/h2>\n<p>The vagus nerve, the body\u2019s longest cranial nerve, connects brain and gut through a two-way flow of signals. It influences motility, satiety, secretion, and inflammation. When vagal activity dips and sympathetic tone dominates, the result can be abdominal pain, sluggish motility, or chronic gut inflammation. Traditional vagal stimulation requires surgical implants. tVNS, delivered through electrodes on the ear, neck, or skin, offers a far less invasive route.<\/p>\n<h2>Evidence From Clinical Trials<\/h2>\n<p>Trials reviewed by Jieyun Yin and colleagues show consistent, if preliminary, benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Functional dyspepsia:<\/b> In a multicenter study of 330 patients, taVNS cut stomach pain rates by up to 82.8% compared to 61.5% for sham therapy.<\/li>\n<li><b>IBS-C:<\/b> Patients saw a 64% drop in abdominal pain and tripled weekly bowel movements after 4 weeks of taVNS.<\/li>\n<li><b>Gastroparesis:<\/b> An open trial of handheld cervical stimulation (gammaCore) improved nausea, fullness, and pain in 15 patients.<\/li>\n<li><b>Pediatric IBD:<\/b> In a pilot of 22 children, 50% with Crohn\u2019s disease and 33% with ulcerative colitis achieved remission after 16 weeks of taVNS.<\/li>\n<li><b>Adolescents with IBS:<\/b> Percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulation (PENFS) delivered sustained pain reduction across randomized controlled trials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Mechanisms at Work<\/h2>\n<p>The review points to overlapping pathways:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; <b>Anti-nociceptive effects:<\/b> tVNS dampens visceral hypersensitivity by modulating vagal afferent signals to brainstem centers.<br \/>\n&#8211; <b>Anti-inflammatory effects:<\/b> Acetylcholine released by vagal activity binds to \u03b17 receptors on macrophages, suppressing TNF-\u03b1, IL-6, and IL-1\u03b2.<br \/>\n&#8211; <b>Prokinetic effects:<\/b> tVNS boosts gastric accommodation, esophageal sphincter tone, and rectoanal reflexes, supported by heart rate variability measures of parasympathetic activity.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Transcutaneous VNS has been shown to relieve abdominal pain, improve GI symptoms, and accelerate GI motility by enhancing vagal activity in patients with various GI disorders.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Limitations and Next Steps<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the encouraging data, most trials remain small and vary in frequency, duration, and stimulation site. Animal studies hint that higher-frequency stimulation may be optimal for pain, while lower frequencies may better support motility. Standardized protocols are needed, as are larger multicenter randomized controlled trials.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Transcutaneous VNS appears to be an emerging, effective, low-cost, and safe therapy for GI disorders. However, in-depth research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of action.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Takeaway<\/h2>\n<p>Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation shows potential to reduce pain, restore gut motility, and ease inflammation in conditions like IBS and IBD. While early results are strong, the field needs larger, standardized studies to confirm benefits and refine treatment protocols.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Findings<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>tVNS reduced stomach pain in 330 functional dyspepsia patients, outperforming sham therapy.<\/li>\n<li>IBS-C patients experienced a 64% pain reduction and tripled bowel movements after taVNS.<\/li>\n<li>Pediatric IBD remission reached 50% for Crohn\u2019s disease and 33% for ulcerative colitis after taVNS.<\/li>\n<li>Mechanisms include anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and prokinetic pathways tied to vagal activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The field is moving fast, with research expanding into personalized neuromodulation and brain-gut imaging. If confirmed, tVNS could offer patients a safe, accessible alternative to medications and surgeries for stubborn GI symptoms.<\/p>\n<p><i>Journal: Journal of Translational Gastroenterology<\/i><br \/>\n<i>DOI: 1<a href=\"https:\/\/www.xiahepublishing.com\/2994-8754\/JTG-2025-00024\">0.14218\/JTG.2025.00024<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A simple pulse through the skin may one day soothe stubborn stomach pain. A new review in the Journal of Translational Gastroenterology finds that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS), a non-invasive way of activating the vagus nerve, shows promising results for gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical trials suggest that tVNS can reduce abdominal pain, improve motility, and &#8230; <a title=\"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1299,"featured_media":256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-technology","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation - SciChi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A simple pulse through the skin may one day soothe stubborn stomach pain. A new review in the Journal of Translational Gastroenterology finds that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS), a non-invasive way of activating the vagus nerve, shows promising results for gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical trials suggest that tVNS can reduce abdominal pain, improve motility, and ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"497\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SciChi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\"},\"headline\":\"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":562,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health\",\"Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation - SciChi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg\",\"width\":497,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"AMY, amygdala; DGBIs, disorders of gut-brain interaction; DMV, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus; ENS, enteric nervous system; Hyp, hypothalamus; NTS, nucleus tractus solitarius; PBN, parabrachial nucleus; PFC, prefrontal cortex; tVNS, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/27\\\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"description\":\"Tracking Chinese Research\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/16\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg\",\"width\":796,\"height\":296,\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082\",\"name\":\"SciChi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SciChi\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/sciencechina\\\/author\\\/chinaresearch\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation - SciChi","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation","og_description":"A simple pulse through the skin may one day soothe stubborn stomach pain. A new review in the Journal of Translational Gastroenterology finds that transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS), a non-invasive way of activating the vagus nerve, shows promising results for gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical trials suggest that tVNS can reduce abdominal pain, improve motility, and ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/","og_site_name":"SciChi","article_published_time":"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":497,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SciChi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SciChi","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/"},"author":{"name":"SciChi","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082"},"headline":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation","datePublished":"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/"},"wordCount":562,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","articleSection":["Health","Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/","name":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation - SciChi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-27T13:20:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","width":497,"height":700,"caption":"AMY, amygdala; DGBIs, disorders of gut-brain interaction; DMV, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus; ENS, enteric nervous system; Hyp, hypothalamus; NTS, nucleus tractus solitarius; PBN, parabrachial nucleus; PFC, prefrontal cortex; tVNS, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/08\/27\/gentle-nerve-stimulation-could-ease-gut-pain-and-inflammation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gentle Nerve Stimulation Could Ease Gut Pain and Inflammation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","name":"SciChi","description":"Tracking Chinese Research","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#organization","name":"SciChi","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/scichi-logo-cropped.jpg","width":796,"height":296,"caption":"SciChi"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/#\/schema\/person\/9974872362fae8e6096bd8c6637cf082","name":"SciChi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45bfcb06f83fff507782e1030e14a31f738fce0220fc6a8fea863d633e61311f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SciChi"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/author\/chinaresearch\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/08\/vagus-nerve-stimulation.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":421,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/04\/08\/ancient-herbal-remedy-produces-nanomedicine-when-you-boil-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":0},"title":"Ancient Herbal Remedy Produces Nanomedicine When You Boil It","author":"SciChi","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Key Takeaways Boiling traditional herbal teas can yield nanoparticles that survive intact, contrary to previous beliefs in nanomedicine. A study found that kudzu root decoctions contain heat-stable, plant-derived nanoparticles that effectively treat inflammatory bowel disease in mice. These nanoparticles restore gut microbiota, improving conditions like ulcerative colitis by enhancing microbial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"concoction boiling over a fire","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/pexels-tieugiang007-34885276-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/pexels-tieugiang007-34885276-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/pexels-tieugiang007-34885276-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/04\/pexels-tieugiang007-34885276-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":387,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/03\/09\/electroacupuncture-eases-spinal-cord-injury-by-cutting-off-a-deadly-calcium-flood-in-neurons\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":1},"title":"Electroacupuncture Eases Spinal Cord Injury by Cutting Off a Deadly Calcium Flood in Neurons","author":"SciChi","date":"March 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The needle goes in at a point called Shenshu, 5 millimetres to the side of the second lumbar vertebra, roughly at the small of the back. It is a stainless steel disposable, thinner than a syringe needle, and once the electrode clips are attached and the current set to pulse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Electroacupuncture may help repair nerve damage after a spinal cord injury by reducing stress inside cells that is triggered by excess calcium.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":206,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/07\/04\/fence-like-surgical-technique-tackles-giant-nerve-tumors\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":2},"title":"Fence-Like Surgical Technique Tackles Giant Nerve Tumors","author":"SciChi","date":"July 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Surgeons at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a technique that creates a \"fence\" of sutures around massive nerve tumors before removal, dramatically improving safety for patients with plexiform neurofibromas that can grow larger than footballs. The FENCY ligation method, combined with preoperative blood vessel blocking, has shown promising results\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"beach fence","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/grasses-140539_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/grasses-140539_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/grasses-140539_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/07\/grasses-140539_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":395,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/03\/13\/yak-gene-could-repair-damaged-nerves-in-multiple-sclerosis\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":3},"title":"Yak Gene Could Repair Damaged Nerves in Multiple Sclerosis","author":"SciChi","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Every nerve fibre in your brain and spinal cord is wrapped in something a bit like electrical tape. The myelin sheath, as it's called, is a fatty insulating layer produced by specialist cells called oligodendrocytes, and without it, nerve signals lose their speed and coherence. In multiple sclerosis, the immune\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Yak","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/pexels-soulofmurcidus-8843014.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/pexels-soulofmurcidus-8843014.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/pexels-soulofmurcidus-8843014.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/pexels-soulofmurcidus-8843014.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":355,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/01\/30\/tiny-bubbles-under-the-skin-the-acne-patch-that-rewrites-drug-delivery\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":4},"title":"Tiny Bubbles Under the Skin: The Acne Patch That Rewrites Drug Delivery","author":"SciChi","date":"January 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"THE MICRONEEDLES dissolve within minutes, but not before they've done something conventional acne treatments struggle with: deliver three entirely different drugs exactly where they're needed. One drug floats in water. Another repels it. The third sits somewhere between. For decades, that incompatibility has frustrated dermatologists trying to treat the 85\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"acne patch graphic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/01\/acnepatch.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/04\/28\/common-drug-reverses-devastating-gum-disease\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":5},"title":"Common Drug Reverses Devastating Gum Disease","author":"SciChi","date":"April 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists have discovered that a medication already approved for treating multiple sclerosis and psoriasis shows remarkable promise in combating periodontitis, one of the leading causes of tooth loss worldwide. Researchers from Wenzhou Medical University found that dimethyl fumarate (DMF) significantly reduced bone loss and inflammation in experimental models of gum\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"model of teeth on a pedestal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/teeth-5522650_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/teeth-5522650_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/teeth-5522650_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/teeth-5522650_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions\/257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}