Can transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation mitigate vigilance loss? Examining the effects of stimulation at individualized versus constant current intensity.

ABSTRACT: According to the arousal model of vigilance, the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system modulates sustained attention over long periods by regulating physiological arousal. Recent research has proposed that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) modulates indirect physiological markers of LC-NE activity, although its effects on vigilance have not yet been examined. Aiming to develop a safe and noninvasive procedure to prevent vigilance failures in prolonged tasks, the present study examined whether taVNS can mitigate vigilance loss while modulating indirect markers of LC-NE activity. Following a preregistered protocol (https://osf.io/tu2xy/), 50 participants completed three repeated sessions in a randomized order, in which either active taVNS at individualized inte

SUBMITTER: Luna FG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11775886 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature