Auricular vagus nerve stimulation drives analgesia via an auricle–brain axis in a mouse model of neuropathic pain
Zhi Zhang
Nature Communications, Published online: 21 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72214-0 The neuroanatomical basis of auricular vagus nerve stimulation-induced analgesia remains unclear. Here, the authors identify an auricle-to-brain axis from the auricular concha to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, which engages the descending antinociceptive pathway.