Licensing and Collaborative Agreements	12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Licensing and Collaborative Agreements	12. Licensing and Collaborative Agreements *U.S. National Institutes of Health* During fiscal years 2006 through 2008, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded VistaGen California a $4.2 million grant to support preclinical development of AV-101 for pain. In June 2009, the NIH further awarded VistaGen California a $4.2 million grant to support the Phase I clinical development of AV-101, which amount was subsequently increased to a total of $4.6 million in July 2010. The grant expired in the ordinary course on June 30, 2012 and all funds had been expended. AV-101, our orally available prodrug candidate is currently in Phase 2 development, initially for the adjunctive treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in patients with an inadequate response to standard antidepressants. In February 2015, we entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to collaborate on an NIH-sponsored Phase 2 clinical study of the efficacy and safety of AV-101 in subjects with MDD. The first patient in this NIMH-sponsored Phase 2a study was dosed in November 2015 and we anticipate results from the study in the second calendar quarter of 2017. We believe AV-101 may also have broad therapeutic utility with multiple near term central nervous system pipeline expansion opportunities, including chronic neuropathic pain, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. *Cato Research Ltd.* We have built a strategic development relationship with Cato Research Ltd. (CRL), a global contract research and development organization, or CRO, and an affiliate of one of the Company’s largest institutional stockholders. CRL has provided us with access to essential CRO services and regulatory expertise supporting our AV-101 preclinical and clinical development programs and other projects. We recorded research and development expenses for CRO services provided by CRL in the amounts of $52,600 and $38,100 for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In October 2012, we issued an unsecured promissory note in the principal amount of $1,009,000, and a warrant exercisable for 50,450 shares of our common stock, as payment in full of all amounts owed to CRL for CRO services rendered to us through December 31, 2012. As described in Note 8, Convertible Promissory Notes and Other Notes Payable, this note and related accrued but unpaid interest was converted into shares of our Series B Preferred in June 2015. *University Health Network* On September 17, 2007, we entered into a Sponsored Research Collaboration Agreement (SRCA) with University Health Network (UHN) to develop certain stem cell technologies for drug discovery, development and rescue technologies. Under the terms of the SRCA, we have acquired exclusive worldwide rights to patent applications in the U.S. and foreign countries on multiple inventions arising from studies we have sponsored, under pre-negotiated license terms. Such pre-negotiated terms provide for royalty payments based on product sales that incorporate the licensed technology and milestone payments based on the achievement of certain events. Any drug rescue new chemical entity that we develop will not incorporate the licensed technology and, therefore, will not require any royalty payments. To the extent we incur royalty payment obligations from other business activities, the royalty payments will be subject to anti-stacking provisions, which reduce our payments by a percentage of any royalty payments paid to third parties who have licensed necessary intellectual property to us. These licenses will remain in force for so long as we have an obligation to make royalty or milestone payments to UHN, but may be terminated earlier upon mutual consent, by us at any time, or by UHN for our breach of any material provision of the license agreement that is not cured within 90 days. The sponsored research collaboration agreement (SRCA) with UHN, as amended, has a term of ten years, ending on September 18, 2017. We did not engage in any sponsored research activities with UHN during our fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 or 2015, however, we are currently in discussions with Dr. Keller and UHN regarding the scope of potential new sponsored research projects under the SRCA. The ten-year term of the agreement is subject to renewal upon mutual agreement of the parties.

Licensing and Collaborative Agreements

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

12. Licensing and Collaborative Agreements

U.S. National Institutes of Health

During fiscal years 2006 through 2008, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded VistaGen California a $4.2 million grant to support preclinical development of AV-101 for pain. In June 2009, the NIH further awarded VistaGen California a $4.2 million grant to support the Phase I clinical development of AV-101, which amount was subsequently increased to a total of $4.6 million in July 2010. The grant expired in the ordinary course on June 30, 2012 and all funds had been expended. AV-101, our orally available prodrug candidate is currently in Phase 2 development, initially for the adjunctive treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in patients with an inadequate response to standard antidepressants. In February 2015, we entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to collaborate on an NIH-sponsored Phase 2 clinical study of the efficacy and safety of AV-101 in subjects with MDD. The first patient in this NIMH-sponsored Phase 2a study was dosed in November 2015 and we anticipate results from the study in the second calendar quarter of 2017. We believe AV-101 may also have broad therapeutic utility with multiple near term central nervous system pipeline expansion opportunities, including chronic neuropathic pain, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Cato Research Ltd.

We have built a strategic development relationship with Cato Research Ltd. (CRL), a global contract research and development organization, or CRO, and an affiliate of one of the Company’s largest institutional stockholders. CRL has provided us with access to essential CRO services and regulatory expertise supporting our AV-101 preclinical and clinical development programs and other projects. We recorded research and development expenses for CRO services provided by CRL in the amounts of $52,600 and $38,100 for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In October 2012, we issued an unsecured promissory note in the principal amount of $1,009,000, and a warrant exercisable for 50,450 shares of our common stock, as payment in full of all amounts owed to CRL for CRO services rendered to us through December 31, 2012. As described in Note 8, Convertible Promissory Notes and Other Notes Payable, this note and related accrued but unpaid interest was converted into shares of our Series B Preferred in June 2015.

University Health Network

On September 17, 2007, we entered into a Sponsored Research Collaboration Agreement (SRCA) with University Health Network (UHN) to develop certain stem cell technologies for drug discovery, development and rescue technologies. Under the terms of the SRCA, we have acquired exclusive worldwide rights to patent applications in the U.S. and foreign countries on multiple inventions arising from studies we have sponsored, under pre-negotiated license terms. Such pre-negotiated terms provide for royalty payments based on product sales that incorporate the licensed technology and milestone payments based on the achievement of certain events. Any drug rescue new chemical entity that we develop will not incorporate the licensed technology and, therefore, will not require any royalty payments. To the extent we incur royalty payment obligations from other business activities, the royalty payments will be subject to anti-stacking provisions, which reduce our payments by a percentage of any royalty payments paid to third parties who have licensed necessary intellectual property to us. These licenses will remain in force for so long as we have an obligation to make royalty or milestone payments to UHN, but may be terminated earlier upon mutual consent, by us at any time, or by UHN for our breach of any material provision of the license agreement that is not cured within 90 days. The sponsored research collaboration agreement (SRCA) with UHN, as amended, has a term of ten years, ending on September 18, 2017. We did not engage in any sponsored research activities with UHN during our fiscal years ended March 31, 2016 or 2015, however, we are currently in discussions with Dr. Keller and UHN regarding the scope of potential new sponsored research projects under the SRCA. The ten-year term of the agreement is subject to renewal upon mutual agreement of the parties.