VNS · the evidence
Treating the autonomic system, not the symptom list
Five-minute sessions, twice a day, self-administered at home with FDA-cleared technology. What it targets, where the randomised evidence actually sits, and how to read the numbers quoted elsewhere.
Mechanism
What vagus nerve stimulation does
Gentle stimulation
Autonomic regulation
In practice
How treatment works
Twice daily
Through the skin
No downtime
Adjustable
Evidence
Where the randomised evidence actually sits
Being straight about this matters. The randomised, sham-controlled evidence for non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation is in headache disorders, not post-concussion recovery. The PRESTO trial provided controlled evidence that nVNS increases the probability of being pain-free or in mild pain two hours after treating an episodic migraine attack,1 and pooled randomised data support its use in migraine.2
For cluster headache, nVNS holds FDA clearance; the ACT1 and ACT2 trials did not meet their primary endpoints but showed superiority over sham on secondary measures in episodic cluster headache.3
Using nVNS for post-concussion symptoms is an off-label extension of that evidence, not a separately proven indication. The rationale is mechanistic — post-traumatic headache is common after mild TBI6 and autonomic function is measurably disrupted4 — and monitoring lets us see whether an individual patient is actually responding rather than assuming they are.
Getting started
What we provide
An easy-to-use home device
Free training and setup
Professional support
Where to buy the device
The device used in this programme is the Truvaga Plus, a consumer non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator. You buy it directly from the manufacturer — NeuroGlympse does not sell, supply or dispense it, and buying one is not a condition of care with us. Talk to our team first about whether nVNS is appropriate for you at all.
Disclosure: the link below is an affiliate link. NeuroGlympse earns a commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend, no clinician is paid for recommending a device, and you are free to buy elsewhere or not at all — the same clinical advice applies either way. Remember that nVNS is FDA-cleared for headache indications; using it for post-concussion symptoms is off-label, as set out above.
References
Every figure on this page traces to a source below, so the claims can be checked rather than taken on trust.
- 1.PRESTO trial post hoc analysis. Practical and clinical utility of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for the acute treatment of migraine. Journal of Headache and Pain.
- 2.Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for migraine. Frontiers in Neurology. 2023.
- 3.Review. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (gammaCore): efficacy, safety, potential impact on comorbidities, and economic burden for episodic and chronic cluster headache. American Journal of Managed Care. 2017.
- 4.Systematic review of 89 studies. The relationship between traumatic brain injury and disruptions in heart rate variability. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 2024.
- 5.Population-based cross-sectional study. Heart rate variability in adults with mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
- 6.TRACK-TBI investigators. Prevalence of and risk factors for post-traumatic headache in civilian patients after mild traumatic brain injury. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Prevalence figures are presented as the source reports them, including confidence intervals and ranges; a single number would imply more precision than the evidence supports.
Ask whether VNS is right for your recovery
Our nurses guide patients to the appropriate treatment based on symptoms and monitoring data.