A Letter from Our Founder: Vagus Nerve Society Clinical Research

Dear Friend of the Vagus Nerve Society,

At the Vagus Nerve Society, we are united by a simple but profound belief: the future of health care lies not only in treating disease, but in restoring balance, resilience, and biological well-being.

Today, I am writing to share an important update—and to invite you to be part of what we believe is one of the most exciting and meaningful research priorities in our organization’s history.

Chronic stress is not just a feeling—it is a biological force that accelerates aging, fuels inflammation, worsens pain, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, and early mortality. At the cellular level, stress shortens telomeres, the protective caps on our DNA that serve as a marker of biological aging.

What if we could interrupt that process?

What if activating the body’s own healing pathways could slow—or even reverse—the biological damage caused by chronic stress?

This is the question at the heart of our newest research initiative.

The Vagus Nerve Society is launching the first controlled human trial to examine whether non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) can favorably influence:

By gently stimulating the vagus nerve—the body’s primary regulator of inflammation and stress resilience—we aim to test whether bioelectronic medicine can directly impact the biology of aging itself.

If successful, this work could redefine how we think about stress, aging, and prevention.

This project represents a rare convergence of:

It has broad implications for mental health, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and longevity, and it lays the foundation for larger NIH-funded studies that could transform preventive medicine.

Quite simply, this research has the potential to move vagus nerve science from symptom management to cellular-level protection and healing.

This study is a top priority for the Vagus Nerve Society. Philanthropic support is essential to launch and complete this work with the rigor and quality required to influence medicine at scale.

Your generosity helps us:

Because of donors like you, we are able to ask bold questions—and pursue answers that matter.

On behalf of the Vagus Nerve Society, thank you for believing in science that heals, innovation that restores balance, and research that places human well-being at the center of medicine.

Together, we are shaping the future of health.

With deep gratitude and optimism,

Peter S. Staats, MD, MBA, FIPP
Founder & President
Vagus Nerve Society