"Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions" program (SPARC), which was initiated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2016, has been proceed to the next stage in 2022. Compared with the first stage, which focused on the peripheral nervous system as a whole, the most important feature of the SPARC Phase II is its focus on the vagus nerve. This paper explores the reasons for the focus of Phase II by sorting out the current status of the clinical application of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), the vagus nerve and inflammatory reflexes, and the vagus nerve and the introception system. More importantly, the identification and study paradigm of vagal sensory neurons is enlightening and informative to reveal the mechanism of acupuncture acting on the body's surface and visceral organs.

SPARC  /  peripheral nerve  /  vagus nerve  /  bioelectronic medicines  /  acupuncture