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\begin{document}

\title{Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation increases long-latency
event-related potentials, but does not affect neural gating or alpha
oscillations}



\author[1]{Valentina Jelinčić}%
\author[2]{Martina D'Agostini}%
\author[3]{Carlos Ventura Bort}%
\author[1]{Loriss Cascio}%
\author[1]{Ekaterina Gorianskaia}%
\author[3]{Mathias Weymar}%
\author[1]{Diana Torta}%
\author[1]{Ilse Van Diest}%
\author[1]{Andreas von Leupoldt}%
\affil[1]{KU Leuven}%
\affil[2]{University of Southern California}%
\affil[3]{Universität Potsdam}%


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  \date{March 15, 2025}


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\begin{abstract}
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a
non-invasive technique stimulating vagal afferent fibers, showing
promise in treating neurological and mental disorders. taVNS is believed
to activate the locus coeruleus (LC), promoting noradrenergic activation
(NA), which enhances arousal and attention. However, evidence for the
LC-NA hypothesis is mixed, and investigations in different sensory
modalities are lacking. This study investigated whether taVNS enhances
standard NA markers along with neural processing in three sensory
modalities (auditory, respiratory, and somatosensory). In a two-day
Sham-controlled crossover protocol, 45 healthy adults received taVNS at
the cymba concha and Sham stimulation at the earlobe. During
stimulation, participants experienced paired auditory clicks,
inspiratory occlusions and electrocutaneous stimuli, while EEG was
acquired. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and subjective experienced
arousal were measured at pre-/end-stimulation. Resting-state EEG was
measured pre-/post-stimulation to assess alpha-band (8-13Hz) oscillation
power, and participants rated the intensity and unpleasantness of all
stimuli. Auditory-, respiratory-related-, and somatosensory evoked
potentials were measured, specifically P50, N1, and P2 components, as
well as the P50/N1 amplitude difference of the second and the first
stimulus in the pair (neural gating; S2-S1). Although no effects in P50
or N1 amplitudes were observed, P2 amplitudes in auditory and
somatosensory blocks increased during taVNS. Self-reported arousal
increased in the taVNS condition, with no effects on neural gating, sAA
concentration, or resting-state alpha power. taVNS had no effect on
self-reported intensity/unpleasantness of stimuli. These results
highlight certain limitations posed by combining taVNS and EEG, and
underline the need for further mechanistic and clinical taVNS research.%
\end{abstract}%



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\textbf{Hosted file}

\verb`Gating_taVNS_manuscript_VJelincic_v4_unlinked.docx`  available at \url{https://authorea.com/users/832133/articles/1225519-transcutaneous-auricular-vagus-nerve-stimulation-increases-long-latency-event-related-potentials-but-does-not-affect-neural-gating-or-alpha-oscillations}

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