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Chen Y, Lu X, Hu L. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Facilitates Cortical Arousal and Alertness. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:1402. [PMID: 36674156 PMCID: PMC9859411 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a promising noninvasive technique with potential beneficial effects on human emotion and cognition, including cortical arousal and alertness. However, it remains unclear how taVNS could improve cortical arousal and alertness, which are crucial for consciousness and daily task performance. Here, we aimed to estimate the modulatory effect of taVNS on cortical arousal and alertness and to reveal its underlying neural mechanisms. Sixty subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to either the taVNS group (receiving taVNS for 20 min) or the control group (receiving taVNS for 30 s). The effects of taVNS were evaluated behaviorally using a cue-target pattern task, and neurologically using a resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG). We found that taVNS facilitated the reaction time for the targets requiring right-hand responses and attenuated high-frequency alpha oscillations under the close-eye resting state. Importantly, taVNS-modulated alpha oscillations were positively correlated with the facilitated target detection performance, i.e., reduced reaction time. Furthermore, microstate analysis of the resting-state EEG when the eyes were closed illustrated that taVNS reduced the mean duration of microstate C, which has been proven to be associated with alertness. Altogether, this work provided novel evidence suggesting that taVNS could be an enhancer of both cortical arousal and alertness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Go YY, Ju WM, Lee CM, Chae SW, Song JJ. Different Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Parameters Modulate the Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammation in Mice. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020247. [PMID: 35203459 PMCID: PMC8869637 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is considered a potential method for anti-inflammation due to the involvement of the VN in the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) formation of a connection between the central nervous system and peripheral immune cells that help relieve inflammation. However, whether a non-invasive transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) modulates the inflammation levels via altering the parameter of taVNS is poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the differential inhibitory effects of taVNS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation using electrical stimulation parameters such as pulse frequency and time. The taVNS-promoted CAP activity significantly recovered LPS-induced tissue injuries (lung, spleen, and intestine) and decreased inflammatory cytokine levels and tissue-infiltrated immune cells. Interestingly, the anti-inflammatory capacity of taVNS with 15 Hz was much higher than that of taVNS with 25 Hz. When a cytokine array was used to investigate the changes of inflammation and immune response-related cytokines/chemokines expression in taVNS with 15 Hz or 25 Hz treatment in LPS-induced endotoxemia in mice, most of the expression of cytokines/chemokines associated with pro-inflammation was severely decreased in taVNS with 15 Hz compared to 25 Hz. This study demonstrated that the taVNS parameter could differentially modulate the inflammation levels of animals, suggesting the importance of taVNS parameter selection for use in feasible interventions for acute inflammation treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoon-Young Go
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea; (Y.-Y.G.); (W.-M.J.); (C.-M.L.); (S.-W.C.)
- Institute for Health Care Convergence Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul 08308, Korea
| | - Won-Min Ju
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea; (Y.-Y.G.); (W.-M.J.); (C.-M.L.); (S.-W.C.)
| | - Chan-Mi Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea; (Y.-Y.G.); (W.-M.J.); (C.-M.L.); (S.-W.C.)
| | - Sung-Won Chae
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea; (Y.-Y.G.); (W.-M.J.); (C.-M.L.); (S.-W.C.)
- Institute for Health Care Convergence Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul 08308, Korea
| | - Jae-Jun Song
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 80 Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea; (Y.-Y.G.); (W.-M.J.); (C.-M.L.); (S.-W.C.)
- Institute for Health Care Convergence Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul 08308, Korea
- Neurive Institute, Neurive Co., Ltd., Seoul 08308, Korea
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +82-2-2626-3186; Fax: +82-2-2626-0475
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Chang JL, Coggins AN, Saul M, Paget-Blanc A, Straka M, Wright J, Datta-Chaudhuri T, Zanos S, Volpe BT. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tAVNS) Delivered During Upper Limb Interactive Robotic Training Demonstrates Novel Antagonist Control for Reaching Movements Following Stroke. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:767302. [PMID: 34899170 PMCID: PMC8655845 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.767302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Implanted vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) delivered concurrently with upper limb rehabilitation has been shown to improve arm function after stroke. Transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) offers a non-invasive alternative to implanted VNS and may provide similar therapeutic benefit. There is much discussion about the optimal approach for combining VNS and physical therapy, as such we sought to determine whether taVNS administered during robotic training, specifically delivered during the premotor planning stage for arm extension movements, would confer additional motor improvement in patients with chronic stroke. Thirty-six patients with chronic, moderate-severe upper limb hemiparesis (>6 months; mean Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer score = 25 ± 2, range 13-48), were randomized to receive 9 sessions (1 h in length, 3x/week for 3 weeks) of active (N = 18) or sham (N = 18) taVNS (500 ms bursts, frequency 30 Hz, pulse width 0.3 ms, max intensity 5 mA, ∼250 stimulated movements per session) delivered during robotic training. taVNS was triggered by the onset of a visual cue prior to center-out arm extension movements. Clinical assessments and surface electromyography (sEMG) measures of the biceps and triceps brachii were collected during separate test sessions. Significant motor improvements were measured for both the active and sham taVNS groups, and these improvements were robust at 3 month follow-up. Compared to the sham group, the active taVNS group showed a significant reduction in spasticity of the wrist and hand at discharge (Modified Tardieu Scale; taVNS = -8.94% vs. sham = + 2.97%, p < 0.05). The EMG results also demonstrated significantly increased variance for the bicep peak sEMG amplitude during extension for the active taVNS group compared to the sham group at discharge (active = 26.29% MVC ± 3.89, sham = 10.63% MVC ± 3.10, mean absolute change admission to discharge, p < 0.01), and at 3-month follow-up, the bicep peak sEMG amplitude was significantly reduced in the active taVNS group (P < 0.05). Thus, robot training improved the motor capacity of both groups, and taVNS, decreased spasticity. taVNS administered during premotor planning of movement may play a role in improving coordinated activation of the agonist-antagonist upper arm muscle groups by mitigating spasticity and increasing motor control following stroke. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier (NCT03592745).
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna L Chang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Ashley N Coggins
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Maira Saul
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Alexandra Paget-Blanc
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Malgorzata Straka
- Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Jason Wright
- Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Timir Datta-Chaudhuri
- Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Stavros Zanos
- Institute for Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | - Bruce T Volpe
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, United States
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Machetanz K, Berelidze L, Guggenberger R, Gharabaghi A. Brain-Heart Interaction During Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:632697. [PMID: 33790736 PMCID: PMC8005577 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.632697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) modulates brain activity and heart function. The induced parasympathetic predominance leads to an increase of heart rate variability (HRV). Knowledge on the corresponding cortical activation pattern is, however, scarce. We hypothesized taVNS-induced HRV increases to be related to modulation of cortical activity that regulates the autonomic outflow to the heart. MATERIALS AND METHODS In thirteen healthy subjects, we simultaneously recorded 64-channel electroencephalography and electrocardiography during taVNS. Two taVNS stimulation targets were investigated, i.e., the cymba conchae and inner tragus, and compared to active control stimulation in the anatomical vicinity, i.e., at the crus helicis and outer tragus. We used intermitted stimulation bursts of 25 Hz applied at a periodicity of 1 Hz. HRV was estimated with different time-domain methodologies: standard deviation of RR (SDNN), the root mean squares of successive differences (RMSSD), the percentage of RR-intervals with at least 50 ms deviation from the preceding RR-interval (pNN50), and the difference of consecutive RR intervals weighted by their mean (rrHRV). RESULTS The stimulation-induced HRV increases corresponded to frequency-specific oscillatory modulation of different cortical areas. All stimulation targets induced power modulations that were proportional to the HRV elevation. The most prominent changes that corresponded to HRV increases across all parameters and stimulation locations were frontal elevations in the theta-band. In the delta-band, there were frontal increases (RMSSD, pNN50, rrHRV, SDNN) and decreases (SDNN) across stimulation sites. In higher frequencies, there was a more divers activity pattern: Outer tragus/crus helicis stimulation increased oscillatory activity with the most prominent changes for the SDNN in frontal (alpha-band, beta-band) and fronto-parietal (gamma-band) areas. During inner tragus/cymba conchae stimulation the predominant pattern was a distributed power decrease, particularly in the fronto-parietal gamma-band. CONCLUSION Neuro-cardiac interactions can be modulated by electrical stimulation at different auricular locations. Increased HRV during stimulation is correlated with frequency-specific increases and decreases of oscillatory activity in different brain areas. When applying specific HRV measures, cortical patterns related to parasympathetic (RMSSD, pNN50, rrHRV) and sympathetic (SDNN) modulation can be identified. Thus, cortical oscillations may be used to define stimulation locations and parameters for research and therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Machetanz
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | - Alireza Gharabaghi
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Wu X, Zhang Y, Luo WT, Mai RR, Hou XY, Xia ZQ, Xu BY, Liu B. Brain Functional Mechanisms Determining the Efficacy of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Primary Insomnia. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:609640. [PMID: 33776631 PMCID: PMC7994340 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.609640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been reported to be effective in the treatment of primary insomnia (PI); however, its efficacy varies considerably across individuals for reasons that are unclear. In order to clarify the underlying mechanisms, this study investigated the effects of taVNS on spontaneous neuronal activity and autonomic nervous system function by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and measurement of heart rate variability (HRV), respectively, in patients with PI. Forty patients with PI were divided into effective (group A) and ineffective (group B) groups based on their response to taVNS as determined by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score reduction rate (group A ≥ 25% and group B < 25%). Spontaneous neuronal activity was measured by fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and HRV values and was compared between the two groups as well as before vs after taVNS. We then analyzed the correlations among efficacy of taVNS for 4 weeks, the fALFF and HRV values during continuous taVNS state. The results showed that the HRV parameter values (i.e., root mean square of successive differences, percentage of adjacent NN intervals differing by >50 ms, and high frequency) of group A were higher than those of group B during continuous taVNS state. In the fMRI scan, the fALFF values of the right cerebellum, right medial superior frontal gyrus, and bilateral supplementary motor area—which belong to the sensorimotor network (SMN)—were lower in group A than in group B during continuous taVNS state. The correlation analysis revealed that the efficacy of continuous taVNS and HRV and fALFF values were interrelated. These findings demonstrate that differential regulation of the SMN by the autonomic nervous system may be responsible for inter-individual variations in the efficacy of taVNS and suggest that HRV and fALFF are potential biomarkers for predicting PI patients’ response to taVNS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Wu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Ting Luo
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Run-Ru Mai
- Department of Sleep Disorder, Fangcun Branch, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Hou
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zi-Qiang Xia
- The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bi-Yun Xu
- Department of Sleep Disorder, Fangcun Branch, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Li S, Wang Y, Gao G, Guo X, Zhang Y, Zhang Z, Wang Y, Zhang J, Wang J, Li L, Yang Y, Rong P. Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation at 20 Hz Improves Depression-Like Behaviors and Down-Regulates the Hyperactivity of HPA Axis in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Model Rats. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:680. [PMID: 32765210 PMCID: PMC7378324 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has gained growing interest as a non-invasive and non-pharmacologic treatment option in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Animal experiments and clinical trials confirm that taVNS at the auricular concha region has beneficial effects on depression. However, stimulation frequencies are selected empirically, and there is no evidence showing that any frequency is superior to the others. This study explores antidepressant-like effects of three frequencies of taVNS on rats subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e., the control, CUMS, 5 Hz-taVNS, 20 Hz-taVNS, and 100 Hz-taVNS groups. The three different frequencies were administered during the 30-min taVNS procedure once a day for 28 consecutive days. Rats exposed to CUMS showed signs of depression-like behaviors, including reduction in sucrose preference and increased immobility time in forced swimming and open field tests as well as significant dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as detected by plasma corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration. The 28 days’ taVNS sessions with three frequencies elicited quite different consequences. Although 20 Hz taVNS significantly reversed the depression-like behaviors and downregulated the hyperactivity of the HPA axis, neither 5 nor 100 Hz showed any antidepressant-like effect on CUMS-induced rat behavior. Based on these results, we propose that, out of the three frequencies for taVNS intervention on depression, 20 Hz may be the optimized frequency to have a better modulation effect on HPA axis function by activating the auricular vagus nerve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoyuan Li
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guojian Gao
- China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Guo
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yifei Wang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinling Zhang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junying Wang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Li
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongsheng Yang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peijing Rong
- Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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