Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has shown positive effects on a variety of diseases. Considering that decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is closely associated with morbidity and mortality for a variety of diseases, it is important to investigate the effect of taVNS on HRV. In Study 1, we conducted a two-stage cross-over trial to compare the effects of taVNS and sham taVNS (staVNS) on HRV. In Study 2, we systematically tested the effects of different taVNS parameters on high frequency (HF) component of HRV. The results showed that taVNS significantly increased measurements of root mean square of the difference between successive RR intervals (RMSSD), percentage of number of pairs of adjacent RR intervals differing greater than 50ms (pRR50), standard deviation of all RR intervals (SDRR), HF. Significantly, enhancement of HF and pRR50 persisted into recovery period. In addition, higher baseline LF/HF ratio was associated with greater LF/HF ratio decrease. Findings also showed that there was no significant difference in measurements of HF between different taVNS parameters. These studies suggest that taVNS could increase HRV, it may help taVNS in the treatment of low HRV related diseases. However, taVNS may not have parameter-specific effects on HRV.
Highlights
Vagus nerve (VN) is a key component of autonomic nervous system and plays an important strategic role in human body [1]
Fourteen young participants (8 males, 6 females, mean age: 23.42±1.29 years, mean BMI:22.3 ±1.32) were enrolled in study 1, no abnormalities were observed in heart rate (HR) or respiration during the visit, and no adverse effects were reported after the trial ended
This study showed that compared with sham taVNS (staVNS), Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) could change heart rate variability (HRV) of healthy young people, significantly improving the measurements of RMSSD, standard deviation of all RR intervals (SDRR), pRR50 and high frequency (HF) power
Summary
Vagus nerve (VN) is a key component of autonomic nervous system and plays an important strategic role in human body [1]. It is the longest cranial nerve and is distributed throughout various internal organs such as cardiac, liver, esophagus etc. VN acts as a bridge between the brain and various internal organs and is involved in the regulation of multiple major systems [2]. Artificial modulation of afferent vagus nerve, which is a powerful entrance to the brain, affects a large number of physiological processes implicating interactions between the brain and body. VN plays a crucial role in determining brain-body interactions [5]
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