Body of Research

Review article on the potential of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in managing depression — and as it possibly relates to pain and other chronic conditions affected by negative emotional affect and psychological conditions such as depression.   Reference: Liu, CH., Yang, MH., Zhang, GZ. et al. Neural networks and the anti-inflammatory effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in depression. J Neuroinflammation 17, 54 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s1...

Chronic inflammatory diseases have been recognized as the most significant cause of death in the world today, with more than 50% of all deaths being attributable to inflammation-related diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions[2]. Evidence is emerging that the risk of developing chronic inflammation can be traced back to early development, and i...

The only place on the body where the vagus nerve (VN) sends its only peripheral branch is on the outer ear. The auricle is where this VN branch surfaces to form a cutaneous receptive field in the pinna of the ear — an area responsive to peripheral nerve stimulation. Thus, the auricle allows for easy access for auricular (and transcutaneous auricular) vagus nerve stimulation (aVNS/taVNS), that relays the stimuli to the brainstem and higher brain regions via extensive projections to second and...

Paolo Cassano at the Massachusetts General Hospital Depression Clinical & Research Program in Boston, and respective colleagues at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, LiteCure LLC, and Mount Sinai Hospital, have registered and completed a pilot study with ClinicalTrials.gov to confirm and extend preliminary data on Transcranial near-infrared radiation (NIR) is an innovative treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). In a double-blind, randomized study of 6 sessions of NIR versus ...

Since the early part of the 20th century, electro therapy has been used to treat severe depression. With the advance of new devices — e.g. low-level current for neuronal stimulation via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and vagus as well as transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (VNS and tVNS) — the study and treatment of cognitive function in patients with epilepsy and major depression has had significant advance from early “shock therap...

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a Food and Drug Administration approved somatic treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy and depression. In vivo VNS systems, however, are an option limited to patients who have failed to respond to multiple treatment options. Transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) is a non-invasive method based on afferent/efferent vagus nerve distribution on the surface of the ear. The safe and low-cost characteristics of tVNS have the potential to significantly expand the clinical applicat...

Through a systematic review of Medline and Embase databases, with the inclusion of four preclinical and five clinical studies on Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) and transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS), Shiozawa et. al. concluded that TNS and tVNS improve treatment of particular neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. See the details of the study that shows promising (even though mixed) results at SciELO Brasil.   Reference: Shiozawa P, Silva ME, Carvalho TC, Cord...