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)
Review
Neurosciences
Yu Wang, Shao-Yuan Li, Dan Wang, Mo-Zheng Wu, Jia-Kai He, Jin-Ling Zhang, Bin Zhao, Li-Wei Hou, Jun-Ying Wang, Lei Wang, Yi-Fei Wang, Yue Zhang, Zi-Xuan Zhang, Pei-Jing Rong
Summary: The connection between the ear and the rest of the body has been explored for a long time, leading to the development of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) which aims to treat diseases non-invasively. TaVNS has been extensively researched and applied as an alternative to drug treatment for various diseases.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kathrin Machetanz, Levan Berelidze, Robert Guggenberger, Alireza Gharabaghi
Summary: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation modulates brain activity and heart function, leading to an increase in heart rate variability. Different stimulation targets induce frequency-specific oscillatory modulation in various cortical areas, with the most prominent changes in the frontal region. Stimulating different auricular locations results in specific patterns of cortical oscillations, highlighting the potential for defining stimulation parameters for therapeutic purposes.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Daniel H. Lench, Travis H. Turner, Colin McLeod, Heather A. Boger, Lilia Lovera, Lisa Heidelberg, Jordan Elm, Anh Phan, Bashar W. Badran, Vanessa K. Hinson
Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in participants with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease. The results showed that taVNS treatment was safe and well-tolerated, but daily in-office visits were burdensome for participants. Although there were no significant differences in MDS-UPDRS scores or self-reported measures, verbal fluency decreased in the taVNS group. Future studies should explore at-home stimulation devices and optimize stimulation parameters.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Erin Trifilio, Destin Shortell, Sarah Olshan, Alexandria O'Neal, Jozee Coyne, Damon Lamb, Eric Porges, John Williamson
Summary: Evidence has been accumulating over the past 15 years on the clinically meaningful benefits of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). This novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique has been applied to various neuropsychiatric disorders and more recently, in healthy aging populations. This review discusses the possible mechanisms, considerations for older adults, and the use of non-invasive VNS in conjunction with existing behavioral interventions to promote healthy aging.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Adam D. Farmer, Adam Strzelczyk, Alessandra Finisguerra, Alexander Gourine, Alireza Gharabaghi, Alkomiet Hasan, Andreas M. Burger, Andres M. Jaramillo, Ann Mertens, Arshad Majid, Bart Verkuil, Bashar W. Badran, Carlos Ventura-Bort, Charly Gaul, Christian Beste, Christopher M. Warren, Daniel S. Quintana, Dorothea Hammerer, Elena Freri, Eleni Frangos, Eleonora Tobaldini, Eugenijus Kaniusas, Felix Rosenow, Fioravante Capone, Fivos Panetsos, Gareth L. Ackland, Gaurav Kaithwas, Georgia H. O'Leary, Hannah Genheimer, Heidi I. L. Jacobs, Ilse Van Diest, Jean Schoenen, Jessica Redgrave, Jiliang Fang, Jim Deuchars, Jozsef C. Szeles, Julian F. Thayer, Kaushik More, Kristl Vonck, Laura Steenbergen, Lauro C. Vianna, Lisa M. McTeague, Mareike Ludwig, Maria G. Veldhuizen, Marijke De Couck, Marina Casazza, Marius Keute, Marom Bikson, Marta Andreatta, Martina D'Agostini, Mathias Weymar, Matthew Betts, Matthias Prigge, Michael Kaess, Michael Roden, Michelle Thai, Nathaniel M. Schuster, Nicola Montano, Niels Hansen, Nils B. Kroemer, Peijing Rong, Rico Fischer, Robert H. Howland, Roberta Sclocco, Roberta Sellaro, Ronald G. Garcia, Sebastian Bauer, Sofiya Gancheva, Stavros Stavrakis, Stefan Kampusch, Susan A. Deuchars, Sven Wehner, Sylvain Laborde, Taras Usichenko, Thomas Polak, Tino Zaehle, Uirassu Borges, Vanessa Teckentrup, Vera K. Jandackova, Vitaly Napadow, Julian Koenig
Summary: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is gaining interest in basic, translational, and clinical research due to its non-invasive nature. Future studies need to focus on reporting practices, stimulation parameters, and participant safety to advance the field. Additionally, advancements in animal research may have implications for the application of tVNS in humans.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
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
Clinical Neurology
Lei Wang, Jinling Zhang, Chunlei Guo, Jiakai He, Shuai Zhang, Yu Wang, Yanan Zhao, Liang Li, Junying Wang, Liwei Hou, Shaoyuan Li, Yifei Wang, Lixiao Hao, Yufeng Zhao, Mozheng Wu, Jiliang Fang, Peijing Rong
Summary: This study demonstrates that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can improve cognitive performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This inexpensive, effective, and innovative method can be recommended as a therapy for more MCI patients in the prevention or prolongation of the development into dementia, but further investigation is still required.
Article
Neurosciences
Andres Molero-Chamizo, Michael A. Nitsche, Armin Bolz, Rafael Tomas Andujar Barroso, Jose R. Alameda Bailen, Jesus Carlos Garcia Palomeque, Guadalupe Nathzidy Rivera-Urbina
Summary: Stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce pain in conditions like headache and rheumatoid arthritis, and may benefit fibromyalgia patients by normalizing autonomic and immune functions. A randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on fibromyalgia symptoms.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Julian Koenig, Peter Parzer, Niklas Haigis, Jasmin Liebemann, Tamara Jung, Franz Resch, Michael Kaess
Summary: Acute tVNS affects emotion recognition of negative valence in adolescents with MDD, while increasing emotion recognition in controls. tVNS appears to specifically alter early visual processing of stimuli of negative emotional valence in MDD.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
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
Johanna L. Chang, Ashley N. Coggins, Maira Saul, Alexandra Paget-Blanc, Malgorzata Straka, Jason Wright, Timir Datta-Chaudhuri, Stavros Zanos, Bruce T. Volpe
Summary: The study suggests that taVNS during robotic training can lead to positive motor improvements in patients with chronic stroke, particularly in reducing wrist and hand spasticity. By triggering specific visual cues, taVNS helps improve coordinated activation of agonist-antagonist upper arm muscle groups, reducing spasticity and increasing motor control.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
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
Clinical Neurology
Ying Wang, Yingxi He, Linlin Jiang, Xiaoxu Chen, Fengjiao Zou, Ying Yin, Jiani Li, Changqing Li, Guifang Zhang, Jingxi Ma, Lingchuan Niu
Summary: Transcutaneous auricular electrical vagus nerve stimulation is an effective and noninvasive treatment strategy for patients with dysphagia after acute stroke, promoting recovery of swallowing function.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marius Keute, Kathrin Machetanz, Levan Berelidze, Robert Guggenberger, Alireza Gharabaghi
Summary: This study investigated physiological candidate biomarkers for transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) and found that taVNS had effects on heart rate and heart rate variability scores during stimulation, indicating parasympathetic activation. However, these effects were short-lived, and baseline neuro-cardiac coupling scores may predict individual responses to taVNS.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Valentina Jelincic, Ilse Van Diest, Diana M. Torta, Andreas von Leupoldt
Summary: Dyspnea or breathlessness is a common symptom in various diseases, but the neural mechanisms underlying its subjective experience are not well understood. Neural oscillatory dynamics and cross-frequency coupling are proposed as possible neural mechanisms for respiratory perception, warranting further attention and research.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Ali Gholamrezaei, Ilse Van Diest, Qasim Aziz, Ans Pauwels, Jan Tack, Johan W. S. Vlaeyen, Lukas Van Oudenhove
Summary: The study found that slow, deep breathing can reduce visceral pain intensity, which is not specific to the frequency of slow breathing and is not mediated by autonomic or emotional responses.
NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY AND MOTILITY
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Marta Walentynowicz, Iris van de Pavert, Liselotte Fierens, Sofie Coenen, Johan W. S. Vlaeyen, Andreas von Leupoldt, Lukas Van Oudenhove, Severine Vermeire, Gert Van Assche, Marc Ferrante, Ilse Van Diest
Summary: This study developed and validated a questionnaire assessing inflammatory bowel disease-related behaviors and explored the correlation between these behaviors and fatigue. The results showed that avoiding food and activities, as well as access to toilets, were significantly correlated with fatigue.
JOURNAL OF CROHNS & COLITIS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Martina D'Agostini, Andreas M. Burger, Gustavo Villca Ponce, Stephan Claes, Andreas von Leupoldt, Ilse Van Diest
Summary: This study investigated the modulation of sympathetic activity by taVNS, but found no significant impact on the markers tested. Results indicate that continuous stimulation of the cymba concha with the tested parameters does not increase central noradrenergic activity via a vagal pathway.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Manon Giraudier, Carlos Ventura-Bort, Andreas M. Burger, Nathalie Claes, Martina D'Agostini, Rico Fischer, Mathijs Franssen, Michael Kaess, Julian Koenig, Roman Liepelt, Sander Nieuwenhuis, Aldo Sommer, Taras Usichenko, Ilse Van Diest, Andreas von Leupoldt, Christopher M. Warren, Mathias Weymar
Summary: Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been shown to increase salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) levels, indicating the activation of the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system. Pooling raw data from multiple studies allows for stronger conclusions and highlights the benefits of data sharing in research.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Martina D'Agostini, Andreas M. Burger, Mathijs Franssen, Ana Perkovic, Stephan Claes, Andreas von Leupoldt, Peter R. Murphy, Ilse Van Diest
Summary: The study aimed to test whether taVNS enhances pupil dilation and the effect of stimulation parameters on it. The results showed that stimulation settings can linearly increase pupil dilation, and the effect is stronger in the taVNS condition. In addition, taVNS elicited more intense and unpleasant sensations compared to sham stimulation.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Mikolaj Tytus Szulczewski, Martina D'Agostini, Ilse Van Diest
Summary: As researchers search for ways to increase vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), combining transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) with other established methods has been speculated to produce synergistic effects. This study tested the combination of taVNS with slow breathing and found that it did not produce acute effects on vmHRV during slow breathing. These findings suggest that the stimulation parameters examined here do not significantly impact vmHRV.
APPLIED PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY AND BIOFEEDBACK
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Martina D'Agostini, Andreas M. Burger, Valentina Jelincic, Andreas von Leupoldt, Ilse Van Diest
Summary: This preregistered within-subject experiment investigated the effects of taVNS on noradrenergic activity. The results showed that continuous taVNS at high, nonpainful stimulation intensities did not reliably augment noradrenergic activity via the vagus nerve.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Valentina Jelincic, Diana M. Torta, Lucas Vanden Bossche, Ilse Van Diest, Andreas von Leupoldt
Summary: Habituation to bodily sensations is important for chronic bodily symptom experience, but the neural mechanisms behind it are unclear. Neural gating, which suppresses cortical responses to redundant stimuli, may be one relevant mechanism. This study examined the effects of repeated exposure to aversive sensations on neural gating and subjective perception in healthy adults. The results showed intra- and cross-modal habituation, but no relationship between neural gating and perceptual habituation.
BEHAVIOUR RESEARCH AND THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Sylvain Laborde, Stefan Ackermann, Uirassu Borges, Martina D'Agostini, Manon Giraudier, Masa Iskra, Emma Mosley, Cristina Ottaviani, Caterina Salvotti, Maximilian Schmausser, Christoph Szeska, Ilse Van Diest, Carlos Ventura-Bort, Laura Voigt, Julia Wendt, Mathias Weymar
Summary: This paper highlights the importance of using vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) as an actionable biomarker to assess and enhance self-regulation abilities in individuals and organizations. It reviews the state-of-the-art on vmHRV and introduces various techniques to enhance it. The recommendations for policymaking are based on recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The paper emphasizes the efficacy, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness of vmHRV assessments and offers practical tools for individuals and organizations.
POLICY INSIGHTS FROM THE BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Psychology, Biological
Ruta Mueller, Claus Voegele, Ilse van Diest, Madeleine Le, Pauline Bis, Andre Schulz
Meeting Abstract
Psychology, Biological
Ilse Van Diest, Lucas Vanden Bossche, Ana Perkovic, Andreas Burger, Martina D'Agostini
Meeting Abstract
Psychology, Biological
Martina D'Agostini, Andreas Burger, Valentina Jelincic, Andreas von Leupoldt, Ilse Van Diest
Meeting Abstract
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Bep Keersmaekers, Matthias Lenfant, Ilse van den Eijnden, Anouk Teugels, Joao Sabino, Bram Verstockt, Severine Vermeire, Ilse Van Diest, Marc Ferrante
Correction
Psychology, Biological
M. D'Agostini, A. M. Burger, M. Franssen, N. Claes, M. Weymar, A. von Leupoldt, I Van Diest