Vagal dopaminergic afferents link interoception to trigeminal pain modulation
Hyeonwi Son, Deoksoo Han, Tingting Li, John L. Shannonhouse, Eungyung Kim, Cindy Zhou, Md Sams Sazzad Ali, Noreen Baroya, Man‐Kyo Chung, Yu Shin Kim
This study shows that vagus nerve stimulation reduces TMD-related pain by activating dopaminergic vagal afferents that modulate trigeminal nociceptors.
bioRxiv · Mar 31, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience