The Effects of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Functional Connectivity Within Semantic and Hippocampal Networks in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

ABSTRACT: Better treatments are needed to improve cognition and brain health in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) may impact brain networks relevant to AD through multiple mechanisms including, but not limited to, projection to the locus coeruleus, the brain's primary source of norepinephrine, and reduction in inflammation. Neuropathological data suggest that the locus coeruleus may be an early site of tau pathology in AD. Thus, tVNS may modify the activity of networks that are impaired and progressively deteriorate in patients with MCI and AD. Fifty patients with MCI (28 women) confirmed via diagnostic consensus conference prior to MRI (sources of info: Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MOCA), Clinical Dementia

SUBMITTER: Murphy AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10121945 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature