Understanding the Effects of Non-Invasive Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation On EEG and HRV

Anna Carolyna Gianlorenco, Kevin Pacheco-Barrios, Lucas Camargo, Elly Pichardo, Hyuk Choi, Jae Jun Song, Felipe Fregni*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated promising results of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in treating various disorders; however, no mechanistic studies have investigated this technique's neural network and autonomic nervous system effects. This study aims to describe how taVNS can affect EEG metrics, HRV, and pain levels. Healthy subjects were randomly allocated into two groups: the active taVNS group and the sham taVNS group. Electroencephalography (EEG) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were recorded at baseline, 30 min, and after 60 min of 30 Hz, 200-250 µs taVNS, or sham stimulation, and the differences between the metrics were calculated. Regarding vagal projections, some studies have demonstrated the role of the vagus nerve in modulating brain activity, the autonomic system, and pain pathways. However, more data is still needed to understand the mechanisms of taVNS on these systems. In this context, this study presents methods to provide data for a deeper discussion about the physiological impacts of this technique, which can help future therapeutic investigations in various conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere66309
JournalJournal of Visualized Experiments
Volume2024
Issue number203
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

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