The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on cognitive control in multitasking

Sommer, Aldo; Fischer, Rico; Laborde, Sylvain; Achtzehn, Silvia; Liepelt, Roman

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108614

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…It should be noted that evidence collected so far regarding the effects of active taVNS on sAA is considerable controversial, showing either null or positive effects (Burger, D'Agostini, et al, 2020;Giraudier et al, 2022). Although a pool-mega analysis on ten independent experiments by Giraudier et al (2022) showed that active taVNS has a positive but small effect on increasing sAA across time, such effect has not been consistently observed across independent studies (D'Agostini et al, , 2023Sommer et al, 2023). Regarding sCort, evidence is substantially scarce, being only examined in three taVNS studies -to the best of our knowledge-as an indirect marker of LC-NE activity (D'Agostini et al, 2021(D'Agostini et al, , 2022Warren et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wang et al, 2021). Following the hypothesis that taVNS can target the LC-NE system, some positive modulatory effects have been observed on different attentional processes, such as response inhibition (Beste et al, 2016), conflict-triggered adjustment (Fischer et al, 2018), and cognitive control in multitasking (Sommer et al, 2023). Several efforts have been undertaken to validate effects of taVNS on LC-NE activity by analyzing changes in indirect physiological markers as, for instance, pupil size (Burger, Van Der Does, et al, 2020;Capone et al, 2021;D'Agostini et al, 2023;Keute et al, 2019;Villani et al, 2022), alpha oscillations (Lloyd et al, 2023;Sharon et al, 2021), and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol (sCort) (D'Agostini et al, 2021(D'Agostini et al, , 2022Giraudier et al, 2022;Warren et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There seems to be no consensus on how long the pre-task and ontask stimulation periods should be (for a review on these parameters, see the Table 2 in Farmer et al, 2021). Regarding current intensity, while some studies have set a constant level of current at 0.5 mA for all participants (Beste et al, 2016;Burger, Van Der Does, et al, 2020;Maraver et al, 2020;Warren et al, 2019), in some other studies current intensity has been set individually for each participant at the maximum of mA tolerated below a painful/uncomfortable sensation (D'Agostini et al, 2022;Fischer et al, 2018;Sharon et al, 2021;Sommer et al, 2023;Ventura-Bort et al, 2018;Ventura-Bort & Weymar, 2024).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation mitigate vigilance loss? Examining the effects of stimulation at individualized vs. constant current intensity

Luna,

Lupianez,

König

et al. 2024

Preprint

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According to the arousal model of vigilance, the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system modulates sustained attention over long periods by regulating physiological arousal. Recent research has proposed that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) modulates indirect physiological markers of LC-NE activity, although its effects on vigilance have not yet been examined. Aiming to develop a safe and non-invasive procedure to prevent vigilance failures in prolonged tasks, the present study examined the possibility to mitigate vigilance loss by stimulating the LC-NE system via taVNS. Following a pre-registered protocol (https://osf.io/tu2xy/), 50 participants completed three repeated-sessions in a randomized order in which either active taVNS at individualized intensity set by participant, active taVNS set at 0.5 mA for all participants, or sham taVNS, was delivered while performing an attentional and vigilance task (i.e., ANTI-Vea). Changes in salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol concentrations were measured as markers of LC-NE activity. Self-reports of feelings associated with stimulation and guessing rate of active/sham conditions supported the efficacy of the single-blind procedure. Contrary to our predictions, the observed vigilance decrement was not modulated by active taVNS. Pairwise comparisons showed a mitigation by active taVNS on cortisol reduction across time. Interestingly, Spearman’s correlational analyses showed some inter-individual effects of taVNS on indirect markers of LC-NE, evidenced by positive associations between changes in salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol in active but not sham taVNS. We highlight the relevance of replicating and extending the present outcomes, investigating further parameters of stimulation and its effects on other indirect markers of LC-NE activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation mitigate vigilance loss? Examining the effects of stimulation at individualized vs. constant current intensity

Luna,

Lupianez,

König

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…However, the external ear is also innervated by trigeminal nerve fibers, partially overlapping with the vagus territory [ 100 , 101 ]; therefore, an appropriate electrode positioning easily results in the stimulation of both trigeminal and vagal afferents [ 6 , 102 ]. The study of auricular tVNS has seen great development in recent years, especially with regard to improved cognitive performance, not only in the clinical population but also in healthy subjects [ 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 ]. While the neurobiological mechanisms are still unclear, the available literature mostly seek to explain the positive effects of tVNS on cognitive performance in terms of a change in brain NE levels [ 64 , 108 ].…”

Section: New Possibilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Functions following Trigeminal Neuromodulation

Mercante,

Enrico,

Deriu

2023

Biomedicines

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Vast scientific effort in recent years have been focused on the search for effective and safe treatments for cognitive decline. In this regard, non-invasive neuromodulation has gained increasing attention for its reported effectiveness in promoting the recovery of multiple cognitive domains after central nervous system damage. In this short review, we discuss the available evidence supporting a possible cognitive effect of trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS). In particular, we ask that, while TNS has been widely and successfully used in the treatment of various neuropsychiatric conditions, as far as research in the cognitive field is concerned, where does TNS stand? The trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve, conveying the sensory information from the face to the trigeminal sensory nuclei, and from there to the thalamus and up to the somatosensory cortex. On these bases, a bottom-up mechanism has been proposed, positing that TNS-induced modulation of the brainstem noradrenergic system may affect the function of the brain networks involved in cognition. Nevertheless, despite the promising theories, to date, the use of TNS for cognitive empowering and/or cognitive decline treatment has several challenges ahead of it, mainly due to little uniformity of the stimulation protocols. However, as the field continues to grow, standardization of practice will allow for data comparisons across studies, leading to optimized protocols targeting specific brain circuitries, which may, in turn, influence cognition in a designed manner.

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“…Social dysfunction is a prominent characteristic of ASD, encompassing impairments in emotion recognition, interception accuracy, and emotional memory ( 23 ). Prior studies have demonstrated that taVNS can enhance various aspects of social cognition, including social attention ( 24 ), social-emotional understanding and regulation ( 25 ), interception accuracy ( 26 ), and social cognitive flexibility ( 27 ). Therefore, taVNS may be a promising alternative treatment for individuals with ASD, offering potential improvements in social cognition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and exploration of brain network mechanisms in children with high−functioning autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Sun,

Li,

Zhai

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a collection of neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by poor social interaction and communication, a limited range of interests, and stereotyped behavior. High-functioning autism (HFA) indicates a subgroup of individuals with autism who possess cognitive and/or language skills that are within the average to above-normal range for their age. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) holds promise in children with HFA. However, few studies have used randomized controlled trials to validate the effectiveness of taVNS. Therefore, in this study, we intend to provide a study protocol to examine the therapeutic effects of taVNS in individuals diagnosed with HFA and to investigate the process of brain network remodeling in individuals with ASD using functional imaging techniques to observe alterations in large-scale neural networks.Methods and designWe planned to employ a randomized, double-blind experimental design, including 40 children receiving sham stimulation and 40 children receiving real stimulation. We will assess clinical scales and perform functional imaging examinations before and after the stimulation. Additionally, we will include age- and gender-matched healthy children as controls and conduct functional imaging examinations. We plan first to observe the therapeutic effects of taVNS. Furthermore, we will observe the impact of taVNS stimulation on the brain network.DiscussiontaVNS was a low-risk, easy-to-administer, low-cost, and portable option to modulate the vagus system. taVNS may improve the social performance of HFA. Changes in the network properties of the large-scale brain network may be related to the efficacy of taVNS.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2300074035.

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The effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on cognitive control in multitasking

Cited by 8 publications

References 92 publications

Can transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation mitigate vigilance loss? Examining the effects of stimulation at individualized vs. constant current intensity

Can transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation mitigate vigilance loss? Examining the effects of stimulation at individualized vs. constant current intensity

Cognitive Functions following Trigeminal Neuromodulation

Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation and exploration of brain network mechanisms in children with high−functioning autism spectrum disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

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