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Moazzami K, Pearce BD, Gurel NZ, Wittbrodt MT, Levantsevych OM, Huang M, Shandhi MMH, Herring I, Murrah N, Driggers E, Alkhalaf ML, Soudan M, Shallenberger L, Hankus AN, Nye JA, Vaccarino V, Shah AJ, Inan OT, Bremner JD. Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation modulates stress-induced plasma ghrelin levels: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. J Affect Disord 2023; 342:85-90. [PMID: 37714385 PMCID: PMC10698687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) has emerged as a potential treatment strategy for patients with stress-related psychiatric disorders. Ghrelin is a hormone that has been postulated to be a biomarker of stress. While the mechanisms of action of tcVNS are unclear, we hypothesized that tcVNS reduces the levels of ghrelin in response to stress. METHODS Using a randomized double-blind approach, we studied the effects of tcVNS on ghrelin levels in individuals with a history of exposure to traumatic stress. Participants received either sham (n = 29) or active tcVNS (n = 26) after exposure to acute personalized traumatic script stress and mental stress challenges (public speech, mental arithmetic) over a three day period. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the levels of ghrelin between the tcVNS and sham stimulation groups at either baseline or in the absence of trauma scripts. However, tcVNS in conjunction with personalized traumatic scripts resulted in lower ghrelin levels compared to the sham stimulation group (265.2 ± 143.6 pg/ml vs 478.7 ± 349.2 pg/ml, P = 0.01). Additionally, after completing the public speaking and mental arithmetic tests, ghrelin levels were found to be lower in the group receiving tcVNS compared to the sham group (293.3 ± 102.4 pg/ml vs 540.3 ± 203.9 pg/ml, P = 0.009). LIMITATIONS Timing of ghrelin measurements, and stimulation of only left vagus nerve. CONCLUSION tcVNS decreases ghrelin levels in response to various stressful stimuli. These findings are consistent with a growing literature that tcVNS modulates hormonal and autonomic responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasra Moazzami
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
| | - Bradley D Pearce
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Nil Z Gurel
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Matthew T Wittbrodt
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Oleksiy M Levantsevych
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Minxuan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Md Mobashir H Shandhi
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Isaias Herring
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Nancy Murrah
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Emily Driggers
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - MhmtJamil L Alkhalaf
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Majd Soudan
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Lucy Shallenberger
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Allison N Hankus
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Jonathon A Nye
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Viola Vaccarino
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Amit J Shah
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, United States of America
| | - Omer T Inan
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - J Douglas Bremner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, United States of America
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Bremner JD, Wittbrodt MT, Gurel NZ, Shandhi MH, Gazi AH, Jiao Y, Levantsevych OM, Huang M, Beckwith J, Herring I, Murrah N, Driggers EG, Ko YA, Alkhalaf ML, Soudan M, Shallenberger L, Hankus AN, Nye JA, Park J, Woodbury A, Mehta PK, Rapaport MH, Vaccarino V, Shah AJ, Pearce BD, Inan OT. Transcutaneous Cervical Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Pilot Study of Effects on PTSD Symptoms and Interleukin-6 Response to Stress. J Affect Disord Rep 2021; 6:100190. [PMID: 34778863 PMCID: PMC8580056 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly disabling condition associated with alterations in multiple neurobiological systems, including increases in inflammatory and sympathetic function, responsible for maintenance of symptoms. Treatment options including medications and psychotherapies have limitations. We previously showed that transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tcVNS) blocks inflammatory (interleukin (IL)-6) responses to stress in PTSD. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of tcVNS on PTSD symptoms and inflammatory responses to stress. METHODS Twenty patients with PTSD were randomized to double blind active tcVNS (N=9) or sham (N=11) stimulation in conjunction with exposure to personalized traumatic scripts immediately followed by active or sham tcVNS and measurement of IL-6 and other biomarkers of inflammation. Patients then self administered active or sham tcVNS twice daily for three months. PTSD symptoms were measured with the PTSD Checklist (PCL) and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), clinical improvement with the Clinical Global Index (CGI) and anxiety with the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (Ham-A) at baseline and one-month intervals followed by a repeat of measurement of biomarkers with traumatic scripts. After three months patients self treated with twice daily open label active tcVNS for another three months followed by assessment with the CGI. RESULTS Traumatic scripts increased IL-6 in PTSD patients, an effect that was blocked by tcVNS (p<.05). Active tcVNS treatment for three months resulted in a 31% greater reduction in PTSD symptoms compared to sham treatment as measured by the PCL (p=0.013) as well as hyperarousal symptoms and somatic anxiety measured with the Ham-A p<0.05). IL-6 increased from baseline in sham but not tcVNS. Open label tcVNS resulted in improvements measured with the CGI compared to the sham treatment period p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that tcVNS reduces inflammatory responses to stress, which may in part underlie beneficial effects on PTSD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Douglas Bremner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
| | - Matthew T. Wittbrodt
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Nil Z. Gurel
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - MdMobashir H. Shandhi
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Asim H. Gazi
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Yunshen Jiao
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Oleksiy M. Levantsevych
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Minxuan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Joy Beckwith
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Isaias Herring
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Nancy Murrah
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Emily G. Driggers
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Yi-An Ko
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - MhmtJamil L. Alkhalaf
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Majd Soudan
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lucy Shallenberger
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Allison N. Hankus
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jonathon A. Nye
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jeanie Park
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
- Department of Medicine, Renal Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Anna Woodbury
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
- Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Puja K. Mehta
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Mark H. Rapaport
- Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Viola Vaccarino
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Amit J. Shah
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bradley D. Pearce
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Omer T. Inan
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
- Coulter Department of Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
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Bremner JD, Gurel NZ, Jiao Y, Wittbrodt MT, Levantsevych OM, Huang M, Jung H, Shandhi MH, Beckwith J, Herring I, Rapaport MH, Murrah N, Driggers E, Ko YA, Alkhalaf ML, Soudan M, Song J, Ku BS, Shallenberger L, Hankus AN, Nye JA, Park J, Vaccarino V, Shah AJ, Inan OT, Pearce BD. Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation blocks stress-induced activation of Interleukin-6 and interferon-γ in posttraumatic stress disorder: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun Health 2020; 9:100138. [PMID: 34589887 PMCID: PMC8474180 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly disabling condition associated with alterations in multiple neurobiological systems, including increases in inflammatory function. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) decreases inflammation, however few studies have examined the effects of non-invasive VNS on physiology in human subjects, and no studies in patients with PTSD. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of transcutaneous cervical VNS (tcVNS) on inflammatory responses to stress. Thirty subjects with a history of exposure to traumatic stress with (N = 10) and without (N = 20) PTSD underwent exposure to stressful tasks immediately followed by active or sham tcVNS and measurement of multiple biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-(IL)-6, IL-2, IL-1β, Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα) and Interferon gamma (IFNγ) over multiple time points. Stressful tasks included exposure to personalized scripts of traumatic events on day 1, and public speech and mental arithmetic (Mental Stress) tasks on days 2 and 3. Traumatic scripts were associated with a pattern of subjective anger measured with Visual Analogue Scales and increased IL-6 and IFNγ in PTSD patients that was blocked by tcVNS (p < .05). Traumatic stress had minimal effects on these biomarkers in non-PTSD subjects and there was no difference between tcVNS or sham. No significant differences were seen between groups in IL-2, IL-1β, or TNFα. These results demonstrate that tcVNS blocks behavioral and inflammatory responses to stress reminders in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Douglas Bremner
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Radiology, and Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Nil Z. Gurel
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yunshen Jiao
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Matthew T. Wittbrodt
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Minxuan Huang
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hewon Jung
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - MdMobashir H. Shandhi
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joy Beckwith
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Isaias Herring
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mark H. Rapaport
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nancy Murrah
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Emily Driggers
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yi-An Ko
- Departments of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Majd Soudan
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jiawei Song
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benson S. Ku
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lucy Shallenberger
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Allison N. Hankus
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jonathon A. Nye
- Departments of Radiology, and Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jeanie Park
- Departments of Renal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Viola Vaccarino
- Departments of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Amit J. Shah
- Departments of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Omer T. Inan
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Coulter Department of Bioengineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bradley D. Pearce
- Departments of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
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