Effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on beta and gamma brain oscillations

Keute, Marius; Wienke, Christian; Ruhnau, Philipp; Zaehle, Tino

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2021.04.004

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The initial aim of this study was to investigate whether MEG could be used concurrently with tVNS to measure brain response to stimulation. Few studies have attempted to use this neuroimaging modality with tVNS [14,42,47,48], and none have attempted to perform both imaging and stimulation at the auricular branch concurrently, due to the difficulties with the strong stimulation artifacts that are produced by the electrical stimulation within the MEG sensor array. We investigated methods of reducing and removing these artifacts, which led to the successful recovery of brain response to tVNS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are also relatively few studies that have combined tVNS with a neuroimaging method such as magnetoencephalography (MEG) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [14,42,[47][48][49], and none that have attempted concurrent stimulation at the auricular branch and MEG imaging. This is most likely due to the presence of large stimulation artifacts that are produced by the electrical currents from tVNS inside the sensor array of MEG that induce magnetic fields many orders of magnitude larger than the magnetic fields produced by underlying brain activity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring brain response to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Keatch¹,

Lambert²,

Woods³

et al. 2022

J. Neural Eng.

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Objective: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is form of non-invasive brain stimulation that delivers a sequence of electrical pulses to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, and is used increasingly in the treatment of a number of health conditions such as epilepsy and depression. Recent research has focused on the efficacy of tVNS to treat different medical conditions, but there is little conclusive evidence concerning the optimal stimulation parameters.There are relatively few studies that have combined tVNS with a neuroimaging modality, and none that have attempted simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG) and tVNS due to the presence of large stimulation artifacts produced by the electrical stimulation which are many orders of magnitude larger than underlying brain activity. Approach: The aim of this study is to investigate the utility of MEG to gain insight into the regions of the brain most strongly influenced by tVNS and how variation of the stimulation parameters can affect this response in healthy participants. Main Results: We have successfully demonstrated that MEG can be used to measure brain response to tVNS. We have also shown that varying the stimulation frequency can lead to a difference in brain response, with the brain also responding in different anatomical regions depending on the frequency. Significance: The main contribution of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous pulsed tVNS and MEG recording, allowing direct investigation of the changes in brain activity that result from different stimulation parameters. This may lead to the development of customised therapeutic approaches for the targeted treatment of different conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring brain response to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Keatch¹,

Lambert²,

Woods³

et al. 2022

J. Neural Eng.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation is being explored to improve memory function 167,172–175 . In principle, the delivery of electrical pulses to the cymba concha in the outer ear engages the innervating vagus nerve.…”

Section: Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation is being explored to improve memory function. 167,[172][173][174][175] In principle, the delivery of electrical pulses to the cymba concha in the outer ear engages the innervating vagus nerve. Signals travel via synaptic endings at the nucleus tractus solitarius to several regions, including the LC.…”

Section: Non-pharmacological Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Priorities for research on neuromodulatory subcortical systems in Alzheimer's disease: Position paper from the NSS PIA of ISTAART

Ehrenberg

Kelberman

Liu

et al. 2023

Alzheimer's & Dementia

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The neuromodulatory subcortical system (NSS) nuclei are critical hubs for survival, hedonic tone, and homeostasis. Tau-associated NSS degeneration occurs early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, long before the emergence of pathognomonic memory dysfunction and cortical lesions. Accumulating evidence supports the role of NSS dysfunction and degeneration in the behavioral and neuropsychiatric manifestations featured early in AD. Experimental studies even suggest that AD-associated NSS degeneration drives brain neuroinflammatory status and contributes to disease progression, including the exacerbation of cortical lesions. Given the important pathophysiologic and etiologic roles that involve the NSS in early AD stages, there is an urgent need to expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying NSS vulnerability and more precisely detail the clinical progression of NSS changes in AD. Here,

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“…However, the LC-NE activation-associated increases in brain norepinephrine levels induced by tVNS are transient and return to baseline levels when tVNS is stopped (Van Leusden et al, 2015). These findings may explain why resting beta and gamma oscillations, measured using magnetoencephalography, are not affected by tVNS (Keute et al, 2021). This indicates that tVNS, as "exogenous" online neuromodulation, might facilitate the activation of neural networks that are associated with IC.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

Synergistic effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and inhibitory control training on electrophysiological performance in healthy adults

Wang

Zeng²,

Cao³

et al. 2023

Front. Neurosci.

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Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a non-invasive nerve stimulation technique that exerts a positive “exogenous” online neuromodulatory effect on inhibitory control (IC). Additionally, IC training (ICT) is an effective approach for enhancing IC via the “endogenous” activation of brain regions implicated in this process. The aim of the present study was to examine the synergistic effects of tVNS and ICT on IC enhancement. For this, we measured the changes in neural activity in frontal, fronto-central, and central regions in the time domain of the N2 component and the frequency domain of alpha power during the stop signal task. A total of 58 participants were randomly divided into four groups that received five sessions of either ICT or sham ICT with either online tVNS or sham tVNS. No differences in N2 amplitude were detected after any of the interventions. However, N2 latency shortened after tVNS + ICT in frontal, fronto-central, and central regions. N2 latency shortened after the intervention of sham tVNS + ICT in frontal region. Moreover, alpha power after tVNS + ICT intervention was larger than those of the other interventions in frontal, fronto-central, and central regions. The obtained electrophysiological data suggested that combining tVNS with ICT has synergistic ameliorative effects on IC, and provide evidence supporting the IC-enhancing potential of tVNS combined with ICT.

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Effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) on beta and gamma brain oscillations

Cited by 15 publications

References 66 publications

Measuring brain response to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Measuring brain response to transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) using simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Priorities for research on neuromodulatory subcortical systems in Alzheimer's disease: Position paper from the NSS PIA of ISTAART

Synergistic effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and inhibitory control training on electrophysiological performance in healthy adults

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