Trial tests vagus nerve stimulation added to mindfulness for alcohol use disorder

Researchers randomized 63 patients with alcohol use disorder to active taVNS (n=32) or sham stimulation (n=31), delivered during twice-daily mindfulness meditation sessions over 10 days. The primary outcome was accuracy on a go/no-go task in which angry faces served as distractors. The study also assessed resting heart rate variability–EEG coupling and self-reported outcomes, including craving and anxiety; latency to alcohol use after discharge was among the secondary outcomes listed.

Participants receiving active stimulation had greater improvement in angry-face no-go accuracy than those receiving sham stimulation (p<0.001). Accuracy in the sham group remained associated with baseline performance (β=0.406; 95% CI, 0.245–0.567), while the active group showed high post-treatment accuracy irrespective of baseline (β=−0.015; 95% CI, −0.205 to 0.175). Enhanced brain–heart interplay was reported only in the active group. Anxiety and craving reductions were greater and occurred earlier with active stimulation.

The findings suggest a possible short-term benefit of adding taVNS to mindfulness, but the trial was small and brief. The primary outcome was task performance, not alcohol-use outcomes; the supplied results do not quantify post-discharge drinking. The authors describe the approach as safe and effective, but safety details are not provided here, and the results do not establish a change in clinical practice.