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Shi X, Zhao L, Luo H, Deng H, Wang X, Ren G, Zhang L, Tao Q, Liang S, Liu N, Huang X, Zhang X, Yang X, Sun J, Qin W, Kang X, Han Y, Pan Y, Fan D. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation Is Effective for the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Study. Am J Gastroenterol 2023:00000434-990000000-00897. [PMID: 37787432 DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) can be used to modulate gastrointestinal motility, inflammation, and nociception. However, it remains unclear whether VNS is effective in adult patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). We investigated the effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) in patients with FD. METHODS Consecutive patients with FD meeting Rome IV criteria with modified FD Symptom Diary score ≥10 were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to 10-Hz taVNS (V10 group), 25-Hz taVNS (V25 group), or sham group, with 30 minutes of treatment twice a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the response rate at week 4, defined as the proportion of patients whose modified FD Symptom Diary score was reduced ≥5 when compared with the baseline. Secondary outcomes included adequate relief rate and adverse events. RESULTS A total of 300 patients were randomized to V10 (n = 101), V25 (n = 99), and sham groups (n = 100). After 4 weeks of treatment, V10 and V25 groups had a higher response rate (81.2% vs 75.9% vs 47%, both P < 0.001) and adequate relief rate (85.1% vs 80.8% vs 67%, both P < 0.05) compared with the sham group. There was no significant difference between V10 and V25 in response rate and adequate relief rate (both P > 0.05). The efficacy of taVNS (both 10 and 25 Hz) lasted at week 8 and week 12 during follow-up period. Adverse events were all mild and comparable among the 3 groups (1%-3%). DISCUSSION Our study firstly showed that 4-week taVNS (both 10 and 25 Hz) was effective and safe for the treatment of adult FD ( clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT04668534).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- Department of Radiotherapy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Deng
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation and Transformation Joint Laboratory, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiangping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Gui Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Linhui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qin Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuhui Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaojun Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyin Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, National Clinical Research Center of Infectious Disease, The Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuejuan Yang
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation and Transformation Joint Laboratory, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinbo Sun
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation and Transformation Joint Laboratory, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Qin
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of Ministry of Education, Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation and Transformation Joint Laboratory, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaoyu Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ying Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yanglin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Daiming Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
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Szulczewski MT, D'Agostini M, Van Diest I. Expiratory-gated Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) does not Further Augment Heart Rate Variability During Slow Breathing at 0.1 Hz. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2023; 48:323-333. [PMID: 36920567 PMCID: PMC10412484 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-023-09584-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
As cardiac vagal control is a hallmark of good health and self-regulatory capacity, researchers are seeking ways to increase vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) in an accessible and non-invasive way. Findings with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) have been disappointing in this respect, as its effects on vmHRV are inconsistent at best. It has been speculated that combining taVNS with other established ways to increase vmHRV may produce synergistic effects. To test this idea, the present study combined taVNS with slow breathing in a cross-over design. A total of 22 participants took part in two sessions of breathing at 6 breaths/min: once combined with taVNS, and once combined with sham stimulation. Electrical stimulation (100 Hz, 400 µs) was applied during expiration, either to the tragus and cavum conchae (taVNS) or to the earlobe (sham). ECG was recorded during baseline, 20-minutes of stimulation, and the recovery period. Frequentist and Bayesian analyses showed no effect of taVNS (in comparison to sham stimulation) on the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats, mean inter-beat interval, or spectral power of heart rate variability at a breathing frequency of 0.1 Hz. These findings suggest that expiratory-gated taVNS combined with the stimulation parameters examined here does not produce acute effects on vmHRV during slow breathing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martina D'Agostini
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilse Van Diest
- Research Group Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Sant'Anna FM, Resende RCL, Sant'Anna LB, Couceiro SLM, Pinto RBS, Sant'Anna MB, Chao LW, Szeles JC, Kaniusas E. Auricular vagus nerve stimulation: a new option to treat inflammation in COVID-19? REVISTA DA ASSOCIACAO MEDICA BRASILEIRA (1992) 2023; 69:e20230345. [PMID: 37283364 DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20230345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Mendes Sant'Anna
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - Macaé (RJ), Brazil
- Hospital Santa Izabel - Cabo Frio (RJ), Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Liaw Wen Chao
- Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital das Clínicas - São Paulo (SP), Brazil
| | - Jozsef Constantin Szeles
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery - Vienna, Austria
| | - Eugenijus Kaniusas
- Vienna Universit y of Technology, Institute of Biomedical Electronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology - Vienna, Austria
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Soltani D, Azizi B, Sima S, Tavakoli K, Hosseini Mohammadi NS, Vahabie AH, Akbarzadeh-Sherbaf K, Vasheghani-Farahani A. A systematic review of the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability in healthy subjects. Clin Auton Res 2023; 33:165-189. [PMID: 37119426 DOI: 10.1007/s10286-023-00938-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity in healthy populations. METHOD PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched for controlled trials that examined the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on heart rate variability parameters and baroreflex sensitivity in apparently healthy individuals. Two independent researchers screened the search results, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality of the included studies. RESULTS From 2458 screened studies, 21 were included. Compared with baseline measures or the comparison group, significant changes in the standard deviation of NN intervals, the root mean square of successive RR intervals, the proportion of consecutive RR intervals that differ by more than 50 ms, high-frequency power, low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, and low-frequency power were found in 86%, 75%, 69%, 47%, 36%, and 25% of the studies evaluating the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on these indices, respectively. Baroreflex sensitivity was evaluated in six studies, of which a significant change was detected in only one. Some studies have shown that the worse the basic autonomic function, the better the response to transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation. CONCLUSION The results were mixed, which may be mainly attributable to the heterogeneity of the study designs and stimulation delivery dosages. Thus, future studies with comparable designs are required to determine the optimal stimulation parameters and clarify the significance of autonomic indices as a reliable marker of neuromodulation responsiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danesh Soltani
- Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center (CPPRC), Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bayan Azizi
- Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center (CPPRC), Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sepehr Sima
- Department of Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kiarash Tavakoli
- Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center (CPPRC), Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Students' Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Negin Sadat Hosseini Mohammadi
- Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center (CPPRC), Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Students' Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abdol-Hossein Vahabie
- Control and Intelligent Processing Center of Excellence (CIPCE), Cognitive Systems Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kaveh Akbarzadeh-Sherbaf
- Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ali Vasheghani-Farahani
- Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center (CPPRC), Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Tian QQ, Cheng C, Liu PH, Yin ZX, Zhang MK, Cui YP, Zhao R, Deng H, Lu LM, Tang CZ, Xu NG, Yang XJ, Sun JB, Qin W. Combined effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and 0.1 Hz slow-paced breathing on working memory. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1133964. [PMID: 36968483 PMCID: PMC10034029 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1133964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundPrevious research has found that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can improve working memory (WM) performance. It has also been shown that 0.1 Hz slow-paced breathing (SPB, i.e., breathing at a rate of approximately 6 breaths/min) can significantly influence physical state and cognitive function via changes in autonomic afferent activity. In the present study, we investigated the synergistic effects of taVNS and SPB on WM performance.MethodsA total of 96 healthy people participated in this within-subjects experiment involving four conditions, namely taVNS, SPB, combined taVNS with SPB (taVNS + SPB), and sham. Each participant underwent each intervention for 30 min and WM was compared pre- and post-intervention using the spatial and digit n-back tasks in a random order four times. Permutation-based analysis of variance was used to assess the interaction between time and intervention.ResultsFor the spatial 3-back task, a significant interaction between time and intervention was found for the accuracy rate of matching trials (mACC, p = 0.03). Post hoc analysis suggested that both taVNS and taVNS + SPB improved WM performance, however, no significant difference was found in the SPB or sham groups.ConclusionThis study has replicated the effects of taVNS on WM performance reported in previous studies. However, the synergistic effects of combined taVNS and SPB warrant further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Qian Tian
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Chen Cheng
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Peng-Hui Liu
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zi-Xin Yin
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Meng-Kai Zhang
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ya-Peng Cui
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Rui Zhao
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi’an Polytechnic University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hui Deng
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li-Ming Lu
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chun-Zhi Tang
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Neng-Gui Xu
- South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xue-Juan Yang
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Xue-Juan Yang,
| | - Jin-Bo Sun
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- *Correspondence: Jin-Bo Sun,
| | - Wei Qin
- Intelligent Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
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Zhao R, He ZY, Cheng C, Tian QQ, Cui YP, Chang MY, Wang FM, Kong Y, Deng H, Yang XJ, Sun JB. Assessing the Effect of Simultaneous Combining of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on the Improvement of Working Memory Performance in Healthy Individuals. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:947236. [PMID: 35928012 PMCID: PMC9344917 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.947236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A previous study found that combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) could evoke significantly larger activation on a range of cortical and subcortical brain regions than the numerical summation of tDCS and taVNS effects. In this study, two within-subject experiments were employed to investigate its effects on working memory (WM). In experiment 1, the WM modulatory effects of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), taVNS, and simultaneous joint simulation of tDCS over the left DLPFC and taVNS (SJS-L) were compared among 60 healthy subjects. They received these three interventions between the baseline test and post-test in a random manner three times. In spatial 3-back task, there was a significant interaction between time and stimulations in the accuracy rate of matching trials (mACC, p=0.018). MACCs were significantly improved by SJS (p = 0.001) and taVNS (p = 0.045), but not by tDCS (p = 0.495). Moreover, 41 subjects in the SJS group showed improvement, which was significantly larger than that in the taVNS group (29 subjects) and tDCS group (26 subjects). To further investigate the generalization effects of SJS, 72 students were recruited in experiment 2. They received tDCS over the right DLPFC, taVNS, simultaneous joint simulation of tDCS over the right DLPFC and taVNS (SJS-R), and sham stimulation in a random manner four times. No significant results were found, but there was a tendency similar to experiment 1 in the spatial 3-back task. In conclusion, combining tDCS and taVNS might be a potential non-invasive neuromodulation technique which is worthy of study in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhao
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhao-Yang He
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chen Cheng
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qian-Qian Tian
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ya-Peng Cui
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Meng-Ying Chang
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fu-Min Wang
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yao Kong
- School of Electronics and Information, Xi'an Polytechnic University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Deng
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xue-Juan Yang
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jin-Bo Sun
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
- *Correspondence: Jin-Bo Sun
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Sun JB, Cheng C, Tian QQ, Yuan H, Yang XJ, Deng H, Guo XY, Cui YP, Zhang MK, Yin ZX, Wang C, Qin W. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Spatial Working Memory in Healthy Young Adults. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:790793. [PMID: 35002607 PMCID: PMC8733384 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.790793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is one of the core components of higher cognitive functions. There exists debate regarding the extent to which current techniques can enhance human WM capacity. Here, we examined the WM modulation effects of a previously less studied technique, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). In experiment 1, a within-subject study, we aimed to investigate whether and which stimulation protocols of taVNS can modulate spatial WM performance in healthy adults. Forty-eight participants performed baseline spatial n-back tasks (1, 3-back) and then received online taVNS, offline taVNS, or sham stimulation before or during (online group) the posttest of spatial n-back tasks in random order. Results showed that offline taVNS could significantly increase hits in spatial 3-back task, whereas no effect was found in online taVNS or sham group. No significant taVNS effects were found on correct rejections or reaction time of accurate trials (aRT) in both online and offline protocols. To replicate the results found in experiment 1 and further investigate the generalization effect of offline taVNS, we carried out experiment 2. Sixty participants were recruited and received offline taVNS or offline earlobe stimulation in random order between baseline and posttests of behavioral tests (spatial/digit 3-back tasks). Results replicated the findings; offline taVNS could improve hits but not correct rejections or aRT in spatial WM performance, which were found in experiment 1. However, there were no significant stimulation effects on digit 3-back task. Overall, the findings suggest that offline taVNS has potential on modulating WM performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Bo Sun
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chen Cheng
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qian-Qian Tian
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hang Yuan
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xue-Juan Yang
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Deng
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Guo
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ya-Peng Cui
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Meng-Kai Zhang
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zi-Xin Yin
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cong Wang
- Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Qin
- Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China.,Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
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