Journal Article Ppublish 2 citations
PubMed: 39815765 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14753
Stimulate to Remember? The Effects of Short Burst of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) on Memory Performance and Pupil Dilation.
Psychophysiology 62(1):e14753
Authors: Mareike Ludwig, Matthew J Betts, Dorothea Hämmerer
Affiliations
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
- CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Abstract
The decline in noradrenergic (NE) locus coeruleus (LC) function in aging is thought to be implicated in episodic memory decline. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which supports LC function, might serve to preserve or improve memory function in aging. However, taVNS effects are generally very heterogeneous, and it is currently unclear whether taVNS has an effect on memory. In this study, an emotional memory task with negative events involving the LC-NE system was combined with the short burst of event-related taVNS (3 s) in younger adults (N = 24). The aim was to investigate taVNS-induced changes in pupil dilation during encoding and possible taVNS-induced improvements in (emotional) memory performance for early and delayed (24 h) recognition. Negative events were associated with increased pupil dilation and better memory performance. Additionally, real as compared to sham or no stimulation selectively increased memory for negative events. Short bursts of stimulation, whether real or sham, led to an increase in pupil dilation and an improvement in memory performance over time, likely due to the attention-inducing sensory modulation of electrical stimulation.
MeSH
Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Aging, Pupil, Psychophysiology, Vagus Nerve, Memory
Cited by
- Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Enhances Emotional Processing and Long-Term Recognition Memory: Electrophysiological Evidence Across Two Studies. Psychophysiology, 2025
- A vagal route to memory: evidence from invasive and non-invasive electrical vagus nerve stimulation studies and areas for future clinical application. Front Hum Neurosci, 2025
- Effects of off-line auricular transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on a short-term memory task: a pilot study. Front Aging Neurosci, 2025