Non-invasive stimulation of vagal afferents reduces gastric frequency

Teckentrup, Vanessa; Neubert, Sandra; Santiago, João; Hallschmid, Manfred; Walter, Martin; Kroemer, Nils B.

doi:10.1016/j.brs.2019.12.018

Cited by 47 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Although there is ample evidence for a common core network encoding reward value, there is also conclusive support for functional specificity 56 , particularly regarding primary versus secondary reinforcers 57 . Notably, we also observed acute changes in gastric frequency during taVNS applied on the left side suggesting a link to energy metabolism via digestion 11 . The presence of two lateralized signaling pathways 3 may, therefore, enable the more nuanced regulation of reward-seeking behavior prioritizing the regulation of food-seeking according to metabolic state as transmitted via the vagus nerve 7 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…Likewise, two recent studies have shown that acute taVNS reduces gastric myoelectric frequency of the stomach 10 . At the same time, acute VNS has reinforcing properties leading to sustained self-stimulation and conditioning preferences for flavors or places via a dopaminergic mechanism 3,11 . Furthermore, activation of vagal afferents regulates learning and memory in rats and humans suggesting a role in reward seeking 12,13 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Vagus nerve stimulation boosts the drive to work for rewards

et al. 2020

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Interoceptive feedback transmitted via the vagus nerve plays a vital role in motivation by tuning actions according to physiological needs. Whereas vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) reinforces actions in animals, motivational effects elicited by VNS in humans are still largely elusive. Here, we applied non-invasive transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) on the left or right ear while participants exerted effort to earn rewards using a randomized cross-over design (vs. sham). In line with preclinical studies, acute taVNS enhances invigoration of effort, and stimulation on the left side primarily facilitates invigoration for food rewards. In contrast, we do not find conclusive evidence that acute taVNS affects effort maintenance or wanting ratings. Collectively, our results suggest that taVNS enhances reward-seeking by boosting invigoration, not effort maintenance and that the stimulation side affects generalization beyond food reward. Thus, taVNS may enhance the pursuit of prospective rewards which may pave avenues to treat motivational deficiencies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

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confidence: 99%

Vagus nerve stimulation boosts the drive to work for rewards

et al. 2020

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“…Furthermore, 30 min of taVNS reduced gastric frequency, i.e. the rhythmic contractions of the stomach 13 . In contrast, 14 min of taVNS did not modulate the autonomic tone to visceral organs up to 120 min post stimulation in a recent study 17 .…”

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confidence: 91%

“…TaVNS activates the vagal afferents and influences various brain functions 11 . Parasympathetic vagal afferent signals are integrated in the nucleus of the solitary tract and further ascend to hypothalamus 12,13 and striatum 14 . These brain regions also integrate and process central signals and in turn regulate the vagal efferent.…”

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confidence: 99%

No modulation of postprandial metabolism by transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation: a cross-over study in 15 healthy men

Vosseler

Zhao

Fritsche

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Experimental evidence suggests a crucial role of the autonomic nervous system in whole body metabolism with major regulatory effects of the parasympathetic branch in postprandial adaptation. However, the relative contribution of this mechanism is still not fully clear in humans. We therefore compared the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS, Cerbomed Nemos) with sham stimulation during an oral glucose tolerance test in a randomized, single-blind, cross-over design in 15 healthy lean men. Stimulation was performed for 150 min, 30 min before and during the entire oral glucose tolerance test with stimulation cycles of 30 s of on-phase and 30 s of off-phase and a 25 Hz impulse. Heart rate variability and plasma catecholamine levels were assessed as proxies of autonomic tone in the periphery. Neither analyzed heart rate variability parameters nor plasma catecholamine levels were significantly different between the two conditions. Plasma glucose, insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were also comparable between conditions. Thus, the applied taVNS device or protocol was unable to achieve significant effects on autonomic innervation in peripheral organs. Accordingly, glucose metabolism remained unaltered. Therefore, alternative approaches are necessary to investigate the importance of the autonomic nervous system in postprandial human metabolism.

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“…However, many studies examining healthy participants did not find an increase in HRV (e.g. Burger et al, 2019a, Borges et al, 2019Teckentrup et al, 2020). Evidence from narrative reviews is inconclusive as well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation affect heart rate variability? A living and interactive Bayesian meta-analysis

Wolf

Kühnel

Teckentrup

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), have considerable potential for clinical use. Beneficial effects of taVNS have been demonstrated on symptoms in patients with mental or neurological disorders as well as transdiagnostic dimensions, including mood and motivation. However, since taVNS research is still an emerging field, the underlying neurophysiological processes are not yet fully understood, and the replicability of findings on biomarkers of taVNS effects has been questioned. Here, we perform a living Bayesian random effects meta-analysis to synthesize the current evidence concerning the effects of taVNS on heart rate variability (HRV), a candidate biomarker that has, so far, received most attention in the field. To keep the synthesis of evidence transparent and up to date as new studies are being published, we developed a Shiny web app that regularly incorporates new results and enables users to modify study selection criteria to evaluate the robustness of the inference across potential confounds. Our analysis focuses on 17 single-blind studies comparing taVNS versus sham in healthy participants. These newly synthesized results provide strong evidence for the null hypothesis (g = 0.011, CIshortest = [−0.103, 0.125], BF01 = 25.587), indicating that acute taVNS does not alter HRV compared to sham. To conclude, based on a synthesis of the available evidence to date, there is no support for the hypothesis that HRV is a robust biomarker for acute taVNS. By increasing transparency and timeliness, we believe that the concept of living meta-analyses can lead to transformational benefits in emerging fields such as non-invasive brain stimulation.

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Non-invasive stimulation of vagal afferents reduces gastric frequency

Cited by 47 publications

References 25 publications

Vagus nerve stimulation boosts the drive to work for rewards

Vagus nerve stimulation boosts the drive to work for rewards

No modulation of postprandial metabolism by transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation: a cross-over study in 15 healthy men

Does non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation affect heart rate variability? A living and interactive Bayesian meta-analysis

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