Article
Clinical Neurology
Katharina S. Rufener, Christian Wienke, Alena Salanje, Aiden Haghikia, Tino Zaehle
Summary: This study investigates the effects of pairing tones with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on auditory processing. Results show that taVNS can modulate auditory processing in healthy individuals, suggesting potential applications in auditory disorders.
Review
Neurosciences
Natalia Yakunina, Eui-Cheol Nam
Summary: Recent animal research has shown that VNS paired with sound stimuli can eliminate tinnitus in noise-exposed rats, which led to clinical trials exploring the effectiveness of VNS for alleviating tinnitus in humans. Transcutaneous VNS has gained attention as a non-invasive alternative for tinnitus treatment, with studies also investigating its potential efficacy when used alone without sound stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Michael A. Urbin, Charles W. Lafe, Tyler W. Simpson, George F. Wittenberg, Bharath Chandrasekaran, Douglas J. Weber
Summary: The study investigated the acute pupillary responses elicited by transcutaneous stimulation of the external ear, finding that stimulation at different locations can provoke such responses, with effects influenced by pulse amplitude and frequency. Further research is needed to distinguish the roles of vagal and non-vagal afferents in mediating biomarker activation.
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Danuta Raj-Koziak, Elzbieta Gos, Justyna Kutyba, Malgorzata Ganc, W. Wiktor Jedrzejczak, Piotr H. H. Skarzynski, Henryk Skarzynski
Summary: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) in reducing tinnitus symptoms. The results showed that tVNS did not effectively reduce tinnitus symptoms in the study group, but changes in the theta band suggest potential cortical effects that may lead to improvements with sustained treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kenan Steidel, Kristina Krause, Katja Menzler, Adam Strzelczyk, Ilka Immisch, Sven Fuest, Iris Gorny, Peter Mross, Lukas Hakel, Laura Schmidt, Lars Timmermann, Felix Rosenow, Sebastian Bauer, Susanne Knake
Summary: This study demonstrated for the first time that 4 hours of taVNS can influence gastric motility in healthy participants, with high-frequency stimulation associated with higher amplitudes of peristaltic waves. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of different frequencies of taVNS and its therapeutic properties in conditions with impaired gastric motility.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Eric D. Musselman, Nicole A. Pelot, Warren M. Grill
Summary: This study demonstrated the accurate simulation of nerve responses to electrical stimulation by using automated simulations to characterize electrical nerve thresholds. The models were able to accurately predict activation thresholds across different species and fiber types, while also revealing the need for improved models of unmyelinated nerve fibers. The findings are significant in terms of accurately modeling nerve responses, understanding the impact of individual differences on neural and physiological responses, and predicting mechanisms of VNS therapeutic and side effects.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kasra Moazzami, Bradley D. Pearce, Nil Z. Gurel, Matthew T. Wittbrodt, Oleksiy M. Levantsevych, Minxuan Huang, Md Mobashir H. Shandhi, Isaias Herring, Nancy Murrah, Emily Driggers, MhmtJamil L. Alkhalaf, Majd Soudan, Lucy Shallenberger, Allison N. Hankus, Jonathon A. Nye, Viola Vaccarino, Amit J. Shah, Omer T. Inan, J. Douglas Bremner
Summary: tcVNS has been found to decrease ghrelin levels in response to various stressful stimuli, providing evidence for its potential as a treatment strategy for stress-related psychiatric disorders.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Omer Sharon, Firas Fahoum, Yuval Nir
Summary: In this study, the short-term effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) in healthy male volunteers were investigated. The results showed that tVNS led to robust pupil dilation and greater attenuation of occipital alpha oscillations compared to sham stimulation, indicating that tVNS can induce arousal markers beyond somatosensory stimulation and mimic the effects of invasive VNS.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Mitchell Adrien St Pierre, Minoru Shinohara
Summary: This study aimed to understand the neuromotor adaptations when transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is applied at nonspecific timings during motor skill training in healthy humans. The results showed that the reduction in motor adaptation rate was attenuated in the tVNS group compared with the sham group, while the in-session reduction rate did not differ between groups. There was no difference between groups in the adaptation rate to an untrained trajectory pattern. Corticospinal excitability and GABA-mediated intracortical inhibition did not show any training effect. These findings suggest that adding tVNS at nonspecific timings during motor skill training can compromise motor adaptation but not transfer in healthy humans.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Kuan-Po Peng, Arne May
Summary: Noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) is effective in several types of headache disorders, and this study provides functional evidence of a long hypothesized functional trigemino-vagal system in humans.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Zhiyang Wu, Xin Zhang, Tiantian Cai, Yankun Li, Xi Guo, Xiangyang Zhao, Dawei Wu, Zhi Li, Luyao Zhang
Summary: This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled pilot study aimed to explore the efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on inflammation and disease severity of sepsis patients. The results showed that patients receiving taVNS experienced significant reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines and increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that taVNS has a significant therapeutic effect on sepsis patients.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Seth A. Hays, Robert L. Rennaker II, Michael P. Kilgard
Summary: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a bioelectronic therapy that has shown promise in stroke recovery and other domains. This study explores the underlying concepts of VNS therapy and examines the conditions that may affect its efficacy. The mechanisms of implanted VNS, stimulation parameters, pharmacological manipulations, accompanying comorbidities, and concurrent training are discussed in relation to the effectiveness of VNS therapy.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zakir Mridha, Jan Willem de Gee, Yanchen Shi, Rayan Alkashgari, Justin Williams, Aaron Suminski, Matthew P. Ward, Wenhao Zhang, Matthew James McGinley
Summary: The study demonstrates that pupil dilation is a reliable and noninvasive biosensor for titratable VNS-evoked cortical neuromodulation by acetylcholine in mice.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Giovanni Cirillo, Flor Negrete-Diaz, Daniela Yucuma, Assunta Virtuoso, Sohaib Ali Korai, Ciro De Luca, Eugenijus Kaniusas, Michele Papa, Fivos Panetsos
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the pathogenesis and therapeutic approaches for inflammatory bowel diseases. The interaction between the enteric and central nervous systems and the role of the vagus nerve in autoimmune diseases are highlighted. Neuroprosthetic stimulation of the vagus nerve, particularly transcutaneous stimulation of the auricular branch, has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach for controlling intestinal inflammation.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Gibrann Castillo, Luis Gaitero, Sonja Fonfara, Christopher J. Czura, Gabrielle Monteith, Fiona James
Summary: This study investigated the effects of transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) on brain activity and heart rate variability (HRV) in dogs. The results showed significant differences in frequency band power analysis (EEG) and HRV before and after tcVNS. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic value of tcVNS in dogs, but further research is needed.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Aniruddha K. Deshpande, Ishan Bhatt, Chanapong Rojanaworarit
Summary: The study found that adding virtual reality to sound therapy can significantly improve tinnitus loudness and functional index scores. Although conducted in a laboratory setting, it showed positive effects on tinnitus management. More effectiveness trials and blinded controlled trials are needed to validate the use of virtual reality for tinnitus management in clinical settings.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Robert A. Morrison, Stephanie T. Abe, Tanya Danaphongse, Vikram Ezhil, Armaan Somaney, Katherine S. Adcock, Robert L. Rennaker, Michael P. Kilgard, Seth A. Hays
Summary: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) enhances synaptic plasticity during motor rehabilitation, and common pharmaceuticals at clinically relevant doses are unlikely to negatively impact the efficacy of VNS therapy.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alison M. M. Luckey, S. Lauren McLeod, S. Anusha Mohan, Sven Vanneste
Summary: This study compares the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on associative memory performance. The results show that 40 Hz tACS enhances attention during memory encoding and significantly improves the number of words learned on Day 1, while active tDCS results in a significant increase in the number of words recalled on Day 7.
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Hsueh-Sheng Chiang, Scott Shakal, Jeremy F. Strain, Kyle Womack, Michael Kraut, Sven Vanneste, John Hart
Article
Clinical Neurology
Vincent Raymaekers, Sven Bamps, Wim Duyvendak, Eric Put, Gert Roosen, Steven Vanvolsem, Maarten Wissels, Sven Vanneste, Dirk De Ridder, Mark Plazier
Summary: The aim of this study was to identify and describe clusters of patients with sciatica caused by lumbar disc herniation. Three significant clusters were identified, each with different characteristics. Patients in cluster 1 had the most severe pain, highest disability, and underwent more surgeries. Cluster 2 had lower pain and disability but higher quality of life, while cluster 3 had high pain awareness and catastrophizing but limited disability and maintained quality of life.
CLINICAL NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSURGERY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Anusha Mohan, Alison Luckey, Nathan Weisz, Sven Vanneste
Summary: Tinnitus may result from predictive coding issues, with patients potentially being more sensitive to auditory stimuli unrelated to tinnitus characteristics. In individuals with minimal or no hearing loss, a more top-down subtype of tinnitus driven by maladaptive changes in the auditory predictive coding network may exist. Empirical evidence suggests the presence of maladaptive changes in hierarchical predictive coding network in a subgroup of tinnitus patients with minimal to no hearing loss.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anusha Mohan, Sook Ling Leong, Dirk De Ridder, Sven Vanneste
Summary: Tinnitus is a heterogeneous disorder that is difficult to classify based on clinical profiles. This article proposes a framework that views tinnitus as a dimensional disorder and explores the interactions between different dimensions to determine the characteristics of tinnitus. This perspective can enhance our understanding of tinnitus and improve treatment strategies.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan Hsu, Yung-an Tsou, Tang-Chuan Wang, Wen-Dien Chang, Cheng-Li Lin, Richard S. Tyler
Summary: This retrospective longitudinal study analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to investigate the relationship between hypothyroidism and the risk of tinnitus. The results showed that patients with hypothyroidism had a higher risk of developing tinnitus compared to those without hypothyroidism, especially when comorbidities were present.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katherine S. Adcock, Tanya Danaphongse, Sarah Jacob, Harshini Rallapalli, Miranda Torres, Zainab Haider, Armin Seyedahmadi, Robert A. Morrison, Robert L. Rennaker, Michael P. Kilgard, Seth A. Hays
Summary: VNS therapy fails to improve somatosensory or motor function recovery in the forelimb after radial nerve injury, indicating that pain may limit the efficacy of this treatment.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Divya Bharatkumar Adhia, Ramakrishnan Mani, John N. J. Reynolds, Matthew Hall, Sven Vanneste, Dirk De Ridder
Summary: A novel technique called HD-tIPNS was developed to modulate key hubs of the pain pathways. The study demonstrated that HD-tIPNS can safely alter the functional and effective connectivity between pain-related brain regions, but did not lead to changes in clinical pain measures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rimenez R. Souza, Mark B. Powers, Robert L. Rennaker, Christa K. McIntyre, Seth A. Hays, Michael P. Kilgard
Summary: Studies have shown that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) enhances extinction learning in rodent models. Pairing VNS with the conditioned stimulus or delivering continuous stimulation throughout extinction can promote the greatest reduction in conditioned fear.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Health Policy & Services
David T. Pruitt, Y. -Nhy Duong-Nguyen, Eric C. Meyers, Joseph D. Epperson, Joel M. Wright, Rachael A. Hudson, Jane G. Wigginton, Robert L. L. Rennaker, Seth A. Hays, Michael P. Kilgard
Summary: Stroke is a leading cause of chronic motor disability, but patients often face barriers in accessing optimal rehabilitative care. To address this, a system called RePlay was developed to facilitate at-home rehabilitative exercises in a gameplay environment using consumer technology. A feasibility study found that RePlay has the potential to increase engagement in rehabilitative exercises and improve overall patient outcomes.
GAMES FOR HEALTH JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biology
Alison M. Luckey, Lauren S. McLeod, Yuefeng Huang, Anusha Mohan, Sven Vanneste
Summary: Non-invasive transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the greater occipital nerve (NITESGON) during learning elicited a long-term memory effect by enhancing memory consolidation via modulation of dopaminergic input. This finding may have significant implications for neurocognitive disorders that inhibit memory consolidation such as Alzheimer's disease.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Jianning Zhang, Yan Huo, Guangyu Lui, Ming Li, Richard S. Tyler, Huang Ping
Summary: This study examined the application, reliability, and validity of the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory-China in patients with tinnitus. The results showed that the inventory has high reliability in China, but its content validity and structural validity are relatively low. Further improvements are needed to enhance its clinical applicability.
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED OTOLOGY
(2022)