scholarly journals Impact of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Large-Scale Functional Brain Networks: From Local to Global

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Rings ◽  
Randi von Wrede ◽  
Timo Bröhl ◽  
Sophia Schach ◽  
Christoph Helmstaedter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vagus Nerve ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Vagus Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Functional Brain Networks ◽  
The Impact

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique considered as a potential supplementary treatment option for a wide range of diseases. Although first promising findings were obtained so far, the exact mode of action of taVNS is not fully understood yet. We recently developed an examination schedule to probe for immediate taVNS-induced modifications of large-scale epileptic brain networks. With this schedule, we observed short-term taVNS to have a topology-modifying, robustness- and stability-enhancing immediate effect on large-scale functional brain networks from subjects with focal epilepsies. We here expand on this study and investigate the impact of short-term taVNS on various local and global characteristics of large-scale evolving functional brain networks from a group of 30 subjects with and without central nervous system diseases. Our findings point to differential, at first glance counterintuitive, taVNS-mediated alterations of local and global topological network characteristics that result in a reconfiguration of networks and a modification of their stability and robustness properties. We propose a model of a stimulation-related stretching and compression of evolving functional brain networks that may help to better understand the mode of action of taVNS.

scholarly journals Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation induces stabilizing modifications in large-scale functional brain networks: towards understanding the effects of taVNS in subjects with epilepsy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Randi von Wrede ◽  
Thorsten Rings ◽  
Sophia Schach ◽  
Christoph Helmstaedter ◽  
Klaus Lehnertz
Keyword(s):  
Vagus Nerve ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Vagus Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Prospective Trial ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Functional Brain Networks ◽  
Network Properties

AbstractTranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique considered as a potential supplementary treatment option for subjects with refractory epilepsy. Its exact mechanism of action is not yet fully understood. We developed an examination schedule to probe for immediate taVNS-induced modifications of large-scale epileptic brain networks and accompanying changes of cognition and behaviour. In this prospective trial, we applied short-term (1 h) taVNS to 14 subjects with epilepsy during a continuous 3-h EEG recording which was embedded in two standardized neuropsychological assessments. From these EEG, we derived evolving epileptic brain networks and tracked important topological, robustness, and stability properties of networks over time. In the majority of investigated subjects, taVNS induced measurable and persisting modifications in network properties that point to a more resilient epileptic brain network without negatively impacting cognition, behaviour, or mood. The stimulation was well tolerated and the usability of the device was rated good. Short-term taVNS has a topology-modifying, robustness- and stability-enhancing immediate effect on large-scale epileptic brain networks. It has no detrimental effects on cognition and behaviour. Translation into clinical practice requires further studies to detail knowledge about the exact mechanisms by which taVNS prevents or inhibits seizures.

scholarly journals Interactions Between Large-Scale Functional Brain Networks are Captured by Sparse Coupled HMMs

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 230-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. W. Bolton ◽  
Anjali Tarun ◽  
Virginie Sterpenich ◽  
Sophie Schwartz ◽  
Dimitri Van De Ville
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Functional Brain Networks

Candidate Mechanisms of Spontaneous Cognition as Revealed by Dementia Syndromes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire O'Callaghan ◽  
Muireann Irish
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Functional Brain Networks ◽  
Disease Specific

The capacity to engage in spontaneous self-generated thought is fundamental to the human experience, yet surprisingly little is known regarding the neurocognitive mechanisms that support this complex ability. Dementia syndromes offer a unique opportunity to study how the breakdown of large-scale functional brain networks impacts spontaneous cognition. Indeed, many of the characteristic cognitive changes in dementia reflect the breakdown of foundational processes essential for discrete aspects of self-generated thought. This chapter discusses how disease-specific alterations in memory-based/construction and mentalizing processes likely disrupt specific aspects of spontaneous, self-generated thought. In doing so, it provides a comprehensive overview of the neurocognitive architecture of spontaneous cognition, paying specific attention to how this sophisticated endeavor is compromised in dementia.

scholarly journals The Impact of Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Pain and Life Quality in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Nazlı Kutlu ◽  
Ali Veysel Özden ◽  
Hasan Kerem Alptekin ◽  
Jülide Öncü Alptekin
Keyword(s):  
Vagus Nerve ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Vagus Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Functional Evaluation ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of auricular vagus nerve stimulation, applied in conjunction with an exercise treatment program, on pain and life quality in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). To achieve the study objectives, 60 female patients between the ages 18 and 50, with diagnosed FMS according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 diagnostic criteria, were randomly divided into 2 groups of 30. The first group was assigned 20 sessions of a home-based exercise program, while the second group was assigned 20 sessions of auricular vagus nerve stimulation and 20 sessions of a home-based exercise program. Patients were assessed before and after the treatments using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, Beck Depression Scale for depression, Beck Anxiety Scale for anxiety, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) for functional evaluation, and Short Form-36 (SF-36) for life quality. In this randomized controlled trial, comparisons within the groups revealed that both groups had statistically significant improvements in pain, depression, anxiety, functionality, and life quality scores (p<0.05), while comparisons across the groups revealed that the group experiencing the vagus nerve stimulation had no statistically significant differences between the baseline scores, except for those of SF-36’s subparameters of physical function, social functionality, and pain. In fact, comparisons across the groups after the interventions revealed that the group experiencing the vagus nerve stimulation had better scores but not statistically significant. From analysis of this data, we observed that vagus nerve stimulation in FMS treatment did not give additional benefit together with exercise, except for three subparameters of SF-36. It was identified that further studies which separately investigate the effects of vagus nerve stimulation and exercise on FMS with longer follow-up periods and an increased number of patients are needed.

Dynamic Reorganization of the Cortical Functional Brain Network in Affective Processing and Cognitive Reappraisal

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 2050051
Author(s):  
Feng Fang ◽  
Thomas Potter ◽  
Thinh Nguyen ◽  
Yingchun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Affective Processing ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Affective Stimuli ◽  
Functional Brain Network ◽  
Functional Brain Networks

Emotion and affect play crucial roles in human life that can be disrupted by diseases. Functional brain networks need to dynamically reorganize within short time periods in order to efficiently process and respond to affective stimuli. Documenting these large-scale spatiotemporal dynamics on the same timescale they arise, however, presents a large technical challenge. In this study, the dynamic reorganization of the cortical functional brain network during an affective processing and emotion regulation task is documented using an advanced multi-model electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique. Sliding time window correlation and [Formula: see text]-means clustering are employed to explore the functional brain connectivity (FC) dynamics during the unaltered perception of neutral (moderate valence, low arousal) and negative (low valence, high arousal) stimuli and cognitive reappraisal of negative stimuli. Betweenness centralities are computed to identify central hubs within each complex network. Results from 20 healthy subjects indicate that the cortical mechanism for cognitive reappraisal follows a ‘top-down’ pattern that occurs across four brain network states that arise at different time instants (0–170[Formula: see text]ms, 170–370[Formula: see text]ms, 380–620[Formula: see text]ms, and 620–1000[Formula: see text]ms). Specifically, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is identified as a central hub to promote the connectivity structures of various affective states and consequent regulatory efforts. This finding advances our current understanding of the cortical response networks of reappraisal-based emotion regulation by documenting the recruitment process of four functional brain sub-networks, each seemingly associated with different cognitive processes, and reveals the dynamic reorganization of functional brain networks during emotion regulation.

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