Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in healthy individuals

BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve stimulation is the process of applying electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve transcutaneously. The vagus nerve is one of the most commonly used structures for neuromodulation applications due to its anatomical course. As such, non-invasive applications can be easily performed from areas where the vagal nerve is superficialized.METHODS: In this study, 30 healthy volunteers underwent a single session of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for 20 minutes. Heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were assessed with a 5-minute chest measurement with Polar H7 device.RESULTS: As a result of the study, when the parameters were compared before and after the taVNS, it was found that the LF/HF parameter significantly decreased and the RMSSD and HF parameters significantly increased (P<0.05). When all heart rate variability parameters and changes were compared between men and women, it was found that there was no significant difference between the groups (P>0.05).CONCLUSIONS: Accordingly, it was concluded that taVNS applications can neuromodulate heart rate variability parameters in the direction of parasympathetic activity and that gender is not an effective factor in these changes.