Key result
This paper is a study protocol describing a planned randomized controlled trial, and therefore contains no clinical results.
Why the study?
Correlational findings link vagus nerve activation to compassionate responding, but the causal role and potential additivity or synergy of combining vagus nerve stimulation with mental imagery are unexamined.
Does combining transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with compassionate mental imagery improve state self-compassion and reduce self-criticism in healthy volunteers?
Does combining transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with compassionate mental imagery improve state self-compassion and reduce self-criticism in healthy volunteers?
This study protocol outlines a 2x2 factorial trial to investigate whether transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation combined with compassionate mental imagery can synergistically enhance self-compassion and reduce self-criticism.
No results from this protocol; leaves open whether tVNS plus imagery improves self-compassion.
BACKGROUND: The vagus nerve (VN) is a neural nexus between the brain and body, enabling bidirectional regulation of mental functioning and peripheral physiology. Some limited correlational findings suggest an association between VN activation and a particular form of self-regulation: compassionate responding. Interventions that are geared towards strengthening self-compassion in particular, can serve as an antidote to toxic shame and self-criticism and improve psychological health. OBJECTIVE: We describe a protocol for examining the role of VN activation on 'state' self-compassion, self-criticism, and related outcomes. By combining transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) with a brief imagery-based self-compassion intervention, we aim to preliminarily test additivity versus synergy between these distinct bottom-up and top-down methods for putatively regulating vagal activity. We also test whether the effects of VN stimulation accumulate with daily stimulation and daily compassionate imagery practice. METHODS: Using a randomized 2 x 2 factorial (stimulation x imagery condition) design, healthy volunteers (n = 120) receive active (tragus) or sham (earlobe) tVNS plus standardized (audio-recorded) self-compassionate or sham mental imagery instructions. These interventions are delivered in a university-based psychological laboratory in two sessions, one week apart, as well as being self-administered between sessions by participants at home. Pre-stimulation, peri-stimulation and post-imagery measures of state self-compassion, self-criticism and related self-report outcomes are assessed in two lab sessions, separated by a week (Days 1 and 8). Heart rate variability is used as a physiological metric of vagal activity and an eye-tracking task assesses attentional bias to compassionate faces during the two lab sessions. On Days 2-7, participants continue their randomly assigned stimulation and imagery tasks at home, and complete state measures at the end of each remote session. DISCUSSION: Demonstrating modulation of compassionate responding using tVNS would support a causal link between VN activation and compassion. This would provide a basis for future studies of bioelectronic approaches to augmenting therapeutic contemplative techniques. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT05441774 (Date: July 1st 2022). OSF REGISTRATION: https://osf.io/4t9ha.
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Kamboj et al. (2023) studied Healthy volunteers (n=120). Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) and compassionate mental imagery vs. Sham (earlobe) stimulation and sham imagery was evaluated on State self-compassion and self-criticism (SCSC scale) and heart rate variability (HRV). This paper is a study protocol describing a planned randomized controlled trial, and therefore contains no clinical results.
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