{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T12:47:23Z","timestamp":1792068443954,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791763200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["NeuroRehabilitation"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Upper limb motor dysfunctions are common after stroke affecting daily activities. About 60% of survivors still have impairment despite rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To assess the effect of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) on upper limb motor function in chronic stroke patients.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Forty patients with chronic ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory were randomly assigned equally to; real group received 30\u2005min of real taVNS followed by 30\u2005min of upper limb exercises and sham group received identical program with sham taVNS. Intervention was conducted three sessions \/ week for four weeks. Upper extremity motor functions; Isometric (shoulder abductor, elbow flexors) and isokinetic (elbow flexors, extensors) muscle strength; and hand grip were evaluated through Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity (FMA- UE), Biodex system, and electronic hand dynamometer, respectively pre and post intervention.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Post-intervention between-group comparisons favored real taVNS for FMA-UE (MD\u2009=\u20093.95, 95% CI 0.21\u20137.69), IMSA (MD\u2009=\u20094.78, 95% CI 1.89\u20137.66), IMEF (MD\u2009=\u20094.16, 95% CI 1.02\u20137.30), IKEE (MD\u2009=\u20095.34, 95% CI 3.23\u20137.61), and IKEF (MD\u2009=\u20094.72, 95% CI 2.71\u20136.72, p\u2009&lt;\u20090.05). The HG improved significantly within the real taVNS group; however, the between-group difference was not significant (MD\u2009=\u20091.33, 95% CI \u22121.21 \u22123.85, p\u2009=\u20090.297).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>taVNS was associated with significant between-group improvements in upper-limb motor function and shoulder and elbow muscle strength. Clinical relevance of FMA-UE should be interpreted cautiously because its 95% CI was below the reported minimal clinically important difference.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/10538135261490939","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]],"date-time":"2026-10-12T14:26:58Z","timestamp":1791815218000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Motor Function of Upper Extremity in Adults with Chronic Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3831-9194","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Moshera H.","family":"Darwish","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed S.","family":"El-Tamawy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marwa","family":"Mostafa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5336-484X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nehad A.","family":"Abo-zaid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics and its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Badr University in Assiut (BUA), Assiut, Egypt"},{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics and its surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Qena University, Qena, Egypt"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1914-6950","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sheemah","family":"Alenezi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Al-Qurayyat, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heba A.","family":"Khalifa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University"},{"name":"Department of Physical Therapy and Health Rehabilitation, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Al-Qurayyat, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10286-024-01065-w"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2021.797559"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brs.2017.12.009"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_1","article-title":"Laboratory Administration of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS): Technique. 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