Prefrontal cortex oxygenation and autonomic nervous system activity under transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in adolescents

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

“…Indeed, a dissociation between cognitive, behavioral, and physiological measures has also been reported in previous work investigating perseverative cognitions following inhibitory neurostimulation of the prefrontal cortex (Era et al, 2021). 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, 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).…”

“…With regard to HRV, the study results showed no direct effects of taVNS on this autonomic correlate of perseverative cognition, which, though in contrast to our a priori hypotheses, is in line with the findings of Burger et al (2019) on the autonomic correlates of negative thought intrusions in high worriers. Moreover, although positive taVNS effects have been reported (e.g., Höper et al, 2022; Keute et al, 2021; Machetanz et al, 2021a, 2021b), the current study findings (in a well‐powered sample) are in accordance with the findings of the interactive Bayesian random effects meta‐analysis by Wolf et al (2021), which provides strong evidence for the lack of effects of active taVNS, compared to sham, on vagally mediated HRV. Interestingly, however, individual differences in the subjective changes in perseverative cognition before versus after the stressor significantly affected the effects of taVNS on HRV.…”

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

“…tVNS can also modulate specific markers of cortical excitability in participants undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) ( Capone et al, 2015 ; Mertens et al, 2022 ) and has been associated with increased activity in the frontal lobe, likely as a consequence of vagal afferents transducing signals to higher-order brain centers ( Rajiah et al, 2022 ). Peripheral autonomic nervous system activity and that relative changes in PFC oxygenation contribute to these effects as quantified using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) by the research about tVNS on cognitive function ( Hoper et al, 2022 ). The NE system has been reported to play a varied and complex role in executive function ( Usher et al, 1999 ; Slater et al, 2022 ; Tomassini et al, 2022 ).…”

Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on P300 magnitudes and salivary alpha-amylase during an auditory oddball task

“…Also, the effects of taVNS on sAA have been studied in several studies. Three studies (Ventura-Bort et al, 2018 out of nine found preliminary evidence that taVNS increases sAA in post-hoc analyses (D'Agostini, Burger, Franssen, et al, 2023;D'Agostini, Burger, Villca Ponce, et al, 2022;D'Agostini et al, 2021;Giraudier et al, 2020;Höper et al, 2022;Koenig et al, 2019). Furthermore, in a mega-analysis pooling data of 371 participants, Giraudier and colleagues (2022) found taVNS to increase sAA using a mixed model approach but not when relying on a meta-analytic approach.…”