Body of Research
Stress and Tinnitus; Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation Attenuates Tinnitus-Triggered Stress Reaction. Citation: (Ylikoski 2020)
Tinnitus can become a strong stressor for some individuals, and lead to an imbalance of the autonomous nervous system resulting in reduced parasympathetic activity which may manifest as sleep disturbances, anxiety and even depression. Transcutaneous auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) has been shown to activate the vagal pathways, and a therapeutic alternative in health conditions such as tinnitus-related mental stress (TRMS). In a retrospective study of 171 TRMS patients, suffering fro...
Current Directions in the Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation I – A Physiological Perspective. Citation: (Kaniuses, 2019)
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...