Tag: Neuromodulation

Investigational treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a vibrotactile device applied to the external ear

Tracey has looked at HRV in conjunction with diseases of increased cytokines such as rhuematoid arthritis.  Too bad he didn’t look at it in this study. Bioelectron Med. 2019; 5: 4. Published online 2019 Apr 17. doi: 10.1186/s42234-019-0020-4 PMCID: PMC7098240 Investigational treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a vibrotactile device applied to the external ear Meghan E….

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Core strength and Stress

  Welcome to my world!!  I guess I’m so used to seeing the connection between stress, immunity, and the physical body, that I’m surprised that it’s still in question. This is the original PNAS paper. Some excerpts from the interview: In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Pittsburgh neuroscientists showed that…

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Thresholds of Myelinated Axons for Percutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Detailed study on electrode placement and stimulation parameters. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2020 Mar 20. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2020.2982271. [Epub ahead of print] Sensitivity Study of Neuronal Excitation and Cathodal Blocking Thresholds of Myelinated Axons for Percutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Van de Steene T, Tanghe E, Tarnaud T, Kampusch S, Kaniusas E, Martens L, Van Holen…

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The neuromodulatory and hormonal effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation as evidenced by salivary alpha amylase, salivary cortisol, pupil diameter, and the P3 event-related potential.

Brain Stimul. 2019 May – Jun;12(3):635-642. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2018.12.224. Epub 2018 Dec 14. The neuromodulatory and hormonal effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation as evidenced by salivary alpha amylase, salivary cortisol, pupil diameter, and the P3 event-related potential. Warren CM1, Tona KD2, Ouwerkerk L3, van Paridon J4, Poletiek F4, van Steenbergen H2, Bosch JA5, Nieuwenhuis S2….

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Biomarkers for TAVNS

This article looks at various biomarkers for TAVNS and whether it actually stimulates the vagus nerve. Psychophysiology. 2020 Mar 23:e13571. doi: 10.1111/psyp.13571. [Epub ahead of print] Moving beyond belief: A narrative review of potential biomarkers for transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. Burger AM1,2, D’Agostini M1, Verkuil B3, Van Diest I1. Author information 1 Health Psychology Research…

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Case Studies

Submission to INS International Neuromodulation Society Conference, Paris

ABstract INS 2020 I will post this here.  With all the uncertainty about Covid 19, the conference may be canceled anyway.  For references, please click on link above ­­Improving autonomic balance by decreasing sympathetic activity and increasing parasympathetic activity is of intense interest in the research community. Improved autonomic balance reduces inflammation implicated in medical…

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Medical Research

Is Stimulation of the Tragus as Effective as Stimulation of the Cymba Concha in TAVNS?

In this letter the authors make the case that tragus stimulation may be as effective as cymba concha.  This would be helpful since the tragus is so much easier to use a clip on.  Filing here for info. Though the tragus may not have the same density of fibers, they may be easier to reach,…

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Medical Research

Neural networks and the anti-inflammatory effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in depression

Full article link here PDF hereTAVNS and antiinflammatory effect on depression 202012974_2020_Article_1732 Abstract Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a relatively non-invasive alternative treatment for patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD). It has been postulated that acupuncture may achieve its treatment effects on MDD through suppression of vagal nerve inflammatory responses. Our previous…

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Case Studies

Use of TAVNS in conjunction with Acupuncture for Anxiety: Ma.Co edition

I’ve been working on trying to get a single HRV measure of efficacy for transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation.  Readers know that I look at many parameters since the “best use” procedures are far from established.  Some advocate time measures such as RMSSD, others LF/HF a frequency measure that I’ve found to be a great…

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TAVns reduces gastric emptying keeping metabolism stable

Brain Stimul. 2020 Mar – Apr;13(2):470-473. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.12.018. Epub 2019 Dec 18. Non-invasive stimulation of vagal afferents reduces gastric frequency. PDF here–>Effect of TAVNS on Gastric emptying 2020PIIS1935861X19304899 Teckentrup V1, Neubert S2, Santiago JCP3, Hallschmid M3, Walter M4, Kroemer NB5. Author information Abstract Metabolic feedback between the gut and the brain relayed via the vagus…

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