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Abstract #3158

Neural Correlates of Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation: Functional MRI Effects of Anatomical Site and Waveform Parameters

Gerhard Drenthen1, Abraham Beckers2, Heidi Jacobs3, James Ruffle4, Jacobus Jansen1, Walter Backes1, Nikos Priovoulos5, and Daniel Keszthelyi2
1Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands, 2Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands, 3Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands, 4Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom, 5Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Synopsis

Keywords: Task/Intervention Based fMRI, Brain Connectivity, Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation

Motivation: There is marked heterogeneity in transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) based on the anatomical site (cervical/auricular), and the waveform parameters (fixed/variable frequency) of the stimulation.

Goal(s): To explore the functional brain differences between cervical vagal nerve stimulation and auricular vagal nerve stimulation.

Approach: Ultra-high field functional neuroimaging is performed of the neural correlates of tVNS with disparate anatomical sites and electrical waveform characteristics during rest in healthy participants

Results: Auricular stimulation with a variable frequency was shown to result in a significant decrease of the BOLD response in the amygdala and insular cortex compared to sham stimulation.

Impact: There exist multiple knowledge gaps in the use of tVNS, which hinders the advancement of tVNS applications. This explorative study has shown the differences in neuronal response of auricular and cervical stimulation with fixed and variable frequencies.

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Keywords