Key result
A 15-minute treatment of high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS significantly increased resting-state functional connectivity to the cingulate cortex and insula compared to sham control in healthy subjects.
Why the study?
No studies had examined the effects of high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS on resting-state functional connectivity.
Does high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS alter resting-state functional connectivity in the cingulate cortex and insula in healthy subjects?
RCT (n=27)
Single-blind
Randomized order of active and sham stimulation days
No
Does high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS alter resting-state functional connectivity in the cingulate cortex and insula in healthy subjects?
p-value: p=<0.05
High-frequency sub-threshold taVNS induces sustained changes in resting-state functional connectivity in brain regions involved in interoception and pain processing in healthy subjects.
This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a non-invasive alternative to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with implantable devices, has shown promise in treating disorders such as depression, migraine, and insomnia. Studies of these disorders with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (rsfMRI) have found sustained changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in patients treated with low frequency (1-20 Hz) taVNS. A recent study has reported reductions in pain scores in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after a 12-week treatment of high-frequency (20 kHz) sub-threshold taVNS. However, no studies to date have examined the effects of high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS on rsFC. The objective of this study was to determine whether high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS induces changes in rsFC using seed regions from the cingulate cortex and insula, brain regions that play a key role in interoception and processing of pain. With a single-blind placebo-controlled repeated measures experimental design, rsfMRI scans were acquired before and after 15 min of either sub-threshold taVNS treatment or a sham control. Significant taVNS-related changes in functional connections to the cingulate cortex were detected between the anterior cingulate cortex and right superior temporal gyrus and between the midcingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobule. In addition, significant changes in functional connections to the insula were detected between the posterior insula and right precuneus and between the anterior insula and right cuneus gyrus. These results suggest that high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS can lead to sustained effects on the rsFC of brain regions involved in interoception and processing of pain in a cohort of healthy subjects. This study lays the foundation for future rsfMRI studies of high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS in clinical populations.
taVNS effects on rsFC remain preliminary; leaves open clinical translation pending controlled trials.
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Mao et al. (2022) conducted an RCT in Healthy (n=27). High-frequency sub-threshold transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) vs. Sham control (0 mA) was evaluated on Changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) to the cingulate cortex and insula (p=<0.05). A 15-minute treatment of high-frequency sub-threshold taVNS significantly increased resting-state functional connectivity to the cingulate cortex and insula compared to sham control in healthy subjects.
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