title: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation boosts associative memory in older individuals.
abstract: Direct vagus nerve stimulation (dVNS) is known to improve mood, epilepsy, and memory. Memory improvements have been observed in Alzheimer's disease patients after long-term stimulation. The potential of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), a noninvasive alternative to dVNS, to alter memory performance remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the effect of a single-session tVNS on associative memory performance in healthy older individuals. To investigate this, we performed a single-blind sham-controlled randomized crossover pilot study in healthy older individuals (n = 30, 50% female). During the stimulation or sham condition, participants performed an associative face-name memory task. tVNS enhanced the number of hits of the memory task, compared with the sham condition. This effect was specific to the experimental task. Participants reported few side effects. We conclude that tVNS is a promising neuromodulatory technique to improve associative memory performance in older individuals, even after a single session. More research is necessary to investigate its underlying neural mechanisms, the impact of varying stimulation parameters, and its applicability in patients with cognitive decline.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.jacobs@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors: Heidi I L
authors: HI
authors: Jacobs
authors: Department of Anaesthesiology, Sankt-Willibrord Spital, Emmerich, Germany.
authors: Joost M
authors: JM
authors: Riphagen
authors: Department of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: Chantalle M
authors: CM
authors: Razat
authors: Department of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: Svenja
authors: S
authors: Wiese
authors: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: Alexander T
authors: AT
authors: Sack
mesh_terms: D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010919:Placebos; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013997:Time Factors; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D055536:Vagus Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos
keywords: Aging; Memory; Memory modulation; Stimulation; Vagus nerve