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Cervical transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (ctVNS) improves human cognitive performance under sleep deprivation stress. Commun Biol 2021; 4:634. [PMID: 34112935 PMCID: PMC8192899 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02145-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fatigue is a pervasive public health and safety issue. Common fatigue countermeasures include caffeine or other chemical stimulants. These can be effective in limited circumstances but other non-pharmacological fatigue countermeasures such as non-invasive electrical neuromodulation have shown promise. It is reasonable to suspect that other types of non-invasive neuromodulation may be similarly effective or perhaps even superior. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of cervical transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (ctVNS) to mitigate the negative effects of fatigue on cognition and mood. Two groups (active or sham stimulation) of twenty participants in each group completed 34 h of sustained wakefulness. The ctVNS group performed significantly better on arousal, multi-tasking, and reported significantly lower fatigue ratings compared to sham for the duration of the study. CtVNS could be a powerful fatigue countermeasure tool that is easy to administer, long-lasting, and has fewer side-effects compared to common pharmacological interventions.
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Dalong G, Jiyuan L, Ying Z, Lei Z, Yanhong H, Yongcong S. Transcranial direct current stimulation reconstructs diminished thalamocortical connectivity during prolonged resting wakefulness: a resting-state fMRI pilot study. Brain Imaging Behav 2018; 14:278-288. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-018-9979-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Sherwood MS, Madaris AT, Mullenger CR, McKinley RA. Repetitive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Induces Quantified Changes in Resting Cerebral Perfusion Measured from Arterial Spin Labeling. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:5769861. [PMID: 30254668 PMCID: PMC6145313 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5769861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) as a method to augment neural activity has increased in popularity in the last decade and a half. The specific application of TES to the left prefrontal cortex has been shown to produce broad cognitive effects; however, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. In this work, we evaluated the effect of repetitive TES on cerebral perfusion. Stimulation was applied to the left prefrontal cortex on three consecutive days, and resting cerebral perfusion was quantified before and after stimulation using arterial spin labeling. Perfusion was found to decrease significantly more in a matched sham stimulation group than in a group receiving active stimulation across many areas of the brain. These changes were found to originate in the locus coeruleus and were broadly distributed in the neocortex. The changes in the neocortex may be a direct result of the stimulation or an indirect result via the changes in the noradrenergic system produced from the altered activity of the locus coeruleus. These findings indicate that anodal left prefrontal stimulation alters the activity of the locus coeruleus, and this altered activity may excite the noradrenergic system producing the broad behavioral effects that have been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. Sherwood
- Infoscitex, a DCS company, 4027 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Beavercreek, OH 45431, USA
- Department of Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | - Aaron T. Madaris
- Infoscitex, a DCS company, 4027 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Beavercreek, OH 45431, USA
- Department of Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
| | | | - R. Andy McKinley
- Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force, 2510 Fifth Street, Bldg 840, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7951, USA
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Giordano J, Bikson M, Kappenman ES, Clark VP, Coslett HB, Hamblin MR, Hamilton R, Jankord R, Kozumbo WJ, McKinley RA, Nitsche MA, Reilly JP, Richardson J, Wurzman R, Calabrese E. Mechanisms and Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Dose Response 2017; 15:1559325816685467. [PMID: 28210202 PMCID: PMC5302097 DOI: 10.1177/1559325816685467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The US Air Force Office of Scientific Research convened a meeting of researchers in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, engineering, and medicine to discuss most pressing issues facing ongoing research in the field of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and related techniques. In this study, we present opinions prepared by participants of the meeting, focusing on the most promising areas of research, immediate and future goals for the field, and the potential for hormesis theory to inform tDCS research. Scientific, medical, and ethical considerations support the ongoing testing of tDCS in healthy and clinical populations, provided best protocols are used to maximize safety. Notwithstanding the need for ongoing research, promising applications include enhancing vigilance/attention in healthy volunteers, which can accelerate training and support learning. Commonly, tDCS is used as an adjunct to training/rehabilitation tasks with the goal of leftward shift in the learning/treatment effect curves. Although trials are encouraging, elucidating the basic mechanisms of tDCS will accelerate validation and adoption. To this end, biomarkers (eg, clinical neuroimaging and findings from animal models) can support hypotheses linking neurobiological mechanisms and behavioral effects. Dosage can be optimized using computational models of current flow and understanding dose–response. Both biomarkers and dosimetry should guide individualized interventions with the goal of reducing variability. Insights from other applied energy domains, including ionizing radiation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and low-level laser (light) therapy, can be prudently leveraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Giordano
- Department of Neurology and Biochemistry, Neuroethics Studies Program, Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marom Bikson
- Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, CUNY, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emily S Kappenman
- San Diego State University, Department of Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Vincent P Clark
- Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - H Branch Coslett
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roy Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan Jankord
- United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, USA
| | | | - R Andrew McKinley
- United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, USA
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environmental and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Jessica Richardson
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Rachel Wurzman
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Edward Calabrese
- Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
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Nelson J, McKinley RA, Phillips C, McIntire L, Goodyear C, Kreiner A, Monforton L. The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Multitasking Throughput Capacity. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:589. [PMID: 27965553 PMCID: PMC5126079 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Multitasking has become an integral attribute associated with military operations within the past several decades. As the amount of information that needs to be processed during these high level multitasking environments exceeds the human operators' capabilities, the information throughput capacity reaches an asymptotic limit. At this point, the human operator can no longer effectively process and respond to the incoming information resulting in a plateau or decline in performance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to a scalp location over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) to improve information processing capabilities during a multitasking environment. Methods: The study consisted of 20 participants from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (16 male and 4 female) with an average age of 31.1 (SD = 4.5). Participants were randomly assigned into two groups, each consisting of eight males and two females. Group one received 2 mA of anodal tDCS and group two received sham tDCS over the lDLPFC on their testing day. Results: The findings indicate that anodal tDCS significantly improves the participants' information processing capability resulting in improved performance compared to sham tDCS. For example, the multitasking throughput capacity for the sham tDCS group plateaued near 1.0 bits/s at the higher baud input (2.0 bits/s) whereas the anodal tDCS group plateaued near 1.3 bits/s. Conclusion: The findings provided new evidence that tDCS has the ability to augment and enhance multitasking capability in a human operator. Future research should be conducted to determine the longevity of the enhancement of transcranial direct current stimulation on multitasking performance, which has yet to be accomplished.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Nelson
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force BaseOH, USA
| | | | - Chandler Phillips
- Department of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State UniversityDayton, OH, USA
| | - Lindsey McIntire
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force BaseOH, USA
| | - Chuck Goodyear
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force BaseOH, USA
| | - Aerial Kreiner
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force BaseOH, USA
| | - Lanie Monforton
- Department of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State UniversityDayton, OH, USA
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