Why the study?
Exacerbated autonomic responses to acute stress are prevalent in PTSD, but the effects of transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation on these responses were unknown.
Does transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation reduce sympathetic responses to acute stress in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder?
Population
25 patients with PTSD
Comparison
Active tcVNS vs sham tcVNS
Design
Randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial
Follow-up
Three-day protocol
Key result
Transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation paired with traumatic script stress significantly decreased sympathetic function, including a 5.7% reduction in heart rate compared to sham, in patients with PTSD.
Authors
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Supports further investigation of tcVNS for autonomic modulation; hypothesis-generating and should not change practice yet.
RCT (n=25)
Double-blind
Simple randomization
No
Does transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation reduce sympathetic responses to acute stress in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder?
Standardized Mean Difference: 0.43
p-value: p=<0.01
Transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation significantly attenuates sympathetic arousal and cardiovascular reactivity to traumatic and mental stress in patients with PTSD.
Gurel et al. (2020) conducted an RCT in Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n=25). Transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation (tcVNS) vs. Sham stimulation (0.2 Hz pulses, peak voltage 14 V) was evaluated on Heart rate response to traumatic script stress (adjusted β = -5.7%, 95% CI ± 3.6%, p=<0.01). Transcutaneous cervical vagal nerve stimulation paired with traumatic script stress significantly decreased sympathetic function, including a 5.7% reduction in heart rate compared to sham, in patients with PTSD.