New Review Examines Anatomical and Methodological Differences Between Auricular and Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation

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ROCKAWAY, N.J., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine and wellness company and leader in non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation technologies, today announced the publication of the peer-reviewed review article, "Two Paths to the Body's Superhighway—The Auricular Branch (taVNS) and the Cervical Bundle (tcVNS): A Narrative Review," in  Frontiers in Neuroscience . The article was authored by Peter S. Staats, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of electroCore, and Justyna Blake, Senior Director of Medical Affairs at electroCore. The review examines the two primary approaches to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS): transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which delivers stimulation through the outer ear, and transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS), which delivers stimulation through the neck. While both are forms of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation that target the vagus nerve, they differ in anatomy, stimulation pathways, mechanisms of action, device design, and clinical implementation. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the current scientific literature on vagus nerve stimulation, comparing the anatomical targets, physiological effects, clinical evidence, safety considerations, and therapeutic potential of cervical vagus nerve stimulation and auricular vagus nerve stimulation. Among its findings, the review highlights the growing body of published research supporting cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) as a clinically validated approach to non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation and bioelectronic medicine, while recognizing that both cervical and auricular approaches continue to evolve as research advances. The authors also identify opportunities for future investigation to further optimize vagus nerve stimulation technologies and better understand their role across diverse clinical applications. "As interest in non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important for clinicians, researchers, and technology developers to understand the similarities and differences between cervical vagus nerve stimulation and auricular vagus nerve stimulation," said Peter S. Staats, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of electroCore and co-author of the review. "By bringing together the current scientific literature, this review provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating these two approaches to vagus nerve stimulation and their potential applications within the rapidly growing field of bioelectronic medicine."

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