Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation enhances cognitive emotion regulation

Smet, Stefanie De; Baeken, Chris; Seminck, Nina; Tilleman, Jozefien; Carrette, Evelien; Vonck, Kristl; Vanderhasselt, Marie‐Anne

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2021.103933

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(150 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Notably, although some studies have reported taVNS‐induced decreases in heart rate (e.g., Höper et al, 2022; Keute et al, 2021; Yokota et al, 2022) and electrodermal activity (e.g., Lamb et al, 2017; although see also Burger et al, 2017, 2018), no such effects were found in the current study. Notwithstanding, the present findings are in line with previous work using similar stimulation parameters (De Smet, Baeken, Seminck, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of non‐invasive vagus nerve stimulation on cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Perseverative cognitions can provoke psychophysiological stress in the absence of an actual stressor and are considered important transdiagnostic vulnerability factors for several (mental) health issues. These stress-related cognitive processes are reflected by both cognitive (assessed by self-reports) and autonomic inflexibility (assessed by heart rate variability; HRV), with a key role attributed to the vagus nerve. Interestingly, modulation of the afferent branches of the vagus can be achieved with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a non-invasive technique that employs a low-intensity electrical current applied to the ear. In a sample of healthy individuals, we investigated the effects of taVNS of the left concha, compared to sham (earlobe) stimulation, on the cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition following a psychosocial stress task.Interestingly, taVNS significantly reduced cognitive rigidity, reflected by reduced subjective perseverative thinking after psychosocial stress. Although there were no direct effects on autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition, individual differences in perseverative thinking after the stressor significantly affected the effects of taVNS on HRV. Specifically, more autonomic inflexibility during the stress task (i.e., reduced HRV) was associated with increases in perseverative thinking afterward for the sham condition, but not the active taVNS condition. Additional exploratory analyses revealed no significant moderation of stimulation intensity. Overall, the study findings endorse the association between perseverative cognitions and vagus nerve functioning.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…This study was part of a larger project investigating the effects of taVNS on cognitive reappraisal as well as perseverative cognition in healthy individuals. TaVNS effects on cognitive reappraisal exceed the scope of this manuscript and are described in De Smet, Baeken, Seminck, et al (2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Effects of non‐invasive vagus nerve stimulation on cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, in healthy subjects, taVNS reduced the ability to recognize sadness in dynamic bodily expressions ( 67 ). Similarly, a recent study indicates that participants receiving active taVNS, compared to sham, were better at using cognitive reappraisal strategy to down-regulate their response to negative emotional pictures ( 65 ). Moreover, taVNS could improve impaired cognitive flexibility in depressive patients by enhancing divergent thinking in healthy participants ( 63 ).…”

Section: Potential Tavns Effects On Clinical Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Therapeutic applications of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with potential for application in neurodevelopmental or other pediatric disorders

Zhu

Zhang²,

Zhou³

et al. 2022

Front. Endocrinol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) as a newly developed technique involves stimulating the cutaneous receptive field formed by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve in the outer ear, with resulting activation of vagal connections to central and peripheral nervous systems. Increasing evidence indicates that maladaptive neural plasticity may underlie the pathology of several pediatric neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, disruptive behavioral disorder and stress-related disorder. Vagal stimulation may therefore provide a useful intervention for treating maladaptive neural plasticity. In the current review we summarize the current literature primarily on therapeutic use in adults and discuss the prospects of applying taVNS as a therapeutic intervention in specific pediatric neurodevelopmental and other psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, we also briefly discuss factors that would help optimize taVNS protocols in future clinical applications. We conclude from these initial findings that taVNS may be a promising alternative treatment for pediatric disorders which do not respond to other interventions.

show abstract

“…Given that emotional dysregulation is an important aspect in ADHD and that pharmacological interventions for ADHD are not overly effective in treating this aspect compared to ADHD core symptoms (De Crescenzo et al, 2017), atVNS might be an interesting option in this regard. Indeed, atVNS has been found to enhance cognitive emotion regulation (De Smet et al, 2021), likely via its modulation of the anterior cingulate and lateral PFC, areas known to be dysregulated in ADHD patients (Qiu et al, 2011). Anyhow, it should be mentioned that especially in the case of non-pharmacological interventions, the ideal evaluation of treatment efficacy should always include blinding by design and blinding by reporter in order to avoid any potential bias on study outcomes (Coghill et al, 2021).…”

Section: Novel Treatments To Modulate the Snr: Trns And Atvnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The metacontrol hypothesis as diagnostic framework of OCD and ADHD: A dimensional approach based on shared neurobiological vulnerability

Colzato

Hommel

Zhang

et al. 2022

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation enhances cognitive emotion regulation

Cited by 22 publications

References 100 publications

Effects of non‐invasive vagus nerve stimulation on cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition

Effects of non‐invasive vagus nerve stimulation on cognitive and autonomic correlates of perseverative cognition

Therapeutic applications of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with potential for application in neurodevelopmental or other pediatric disorders

The metacontrol hypothesis as diagnostic framework of OCD and ADHD: A dimensional approach based on shared neurobiological vulnerability

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About