Transcutaneous Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation Lengthens Exhalation in the Context of Traumatic Stress.

ABSTRACT: Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is believed to deliver afferent signaling to the brain that, in turn, yields downstream changes in peripheral physiology, including cardiovascular and respiratory parameters. While the effects of transcutaneous cervical vagus nerve stimulation (tcVNS) on these parameters have been studied broadly, little is known regarding the specific effects of tcVNS on exhalation time and the spontaneous respiration cycle. By understanding such effects, tcVNS could be used to counterbalance sympathetic hyperactivity following distress by enhancing vagal tone through parasympathetically favored modulation of inspiration and expiration - specifically, lengthened expiration relative to inspiration. We thus investigated the effects of tcVNS on respira

SUBMITTER: Gazi AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10114770 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature