Efficacy and brain mechanism of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for adolescents with mild to moderate depression: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

摘要

Background Depression is a common mental illness in childhood and adolescence, with an incidence of 4%–5%; it can lead to impairments in learning and social functioning. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a commonly used method of auricular acupuncture point stimulation, which is regarded as an effective treatment for adults with depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of taVNS for adolescents with mild to moderate depression.