Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality
IntroductionLong-duration space missions will be a real challenge for maintaining astronauts' adaptability. Research on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is expanding rapidly, and its modalities constitute a major research challenge. A growing number of reviews stress the need to v...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1286919/full |
| _version_ | 1797519686309511168 |
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| author | Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Adèle Gille Sandrine Jacob Cécile Vigier Sylvain Laborde Sylvain Laborde Damien Claverie Stéphane Besnard Stéphane Besnard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard |
| author_facet | Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Adèle Gille Sandrine Jacob Cécile Vigier Sylvain Laborde Sylvain Laborde Damien Claverie Stéphane Besnard Stéphane Besnard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard |
| author_sort | Barbara Le Roy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionLong-duration space missions will be a real challenge for maintaining astronauts' adaptability. Research on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is expanding rapidly, and its modalities constitute a major research challenge. A growing number of reviews stress the need to validate biomarkers for monitoring effects to enhance our understanding of the processes by which taVNS acts. Heart rate variability (HRV) appears to be a relevant candidate that informs on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This is a promising technique to minimize the pathogenic effects of such large-scale missions and thus might be a relevant countermeasure. This study aimed to investigate the impact of taVNS on cognitive, psychological, and physiological functioning, including ANS functioning, and the benefits of increasing the number of taVNS sessions.MethodA total of 44 healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the two cross-over protocols: a single session protocol (one taVNS and one sham simulation) or a repeated session protocol (three taVNS and three sham simulations). Cognitive, psychological, and physiological measures were performed before (pre) and after (post) each intervention. Sleep monitoring was only recorded before the first and after the last intervention in each protocol. For the repeated session protocol only, participants were allocated to two groups according to their parasympathetic activation gain during the three interventions: high parasympathetic delta (HPd) and low parasympathetic delta (LPd).ResultsParticipants in the repeated session protocol increased their HRV, cognitive performance, and sleep efficiency. In particular, taVNS induced higher parasympathetic activation and cardiac flexibility compared to the sham simulation in the repeated session protocol. Nevertheless, the perception of stress may indicate a nocebo effect of the repeated session. The HPd profile had higher interoceptive awareness, HRV highlighted by non-linear measures, and cognitive performance, but presented a decrease in some indicators of sleep efficiency compared to the LPd profile.ConclusiontaVNS seems to induce positive health outcomes, especially when the stimulation is repeated three times per week. Our findings highlight the benefits of parasympathetic activation during taVNS on psychophysiological and cognitive functioning. Further research is needed to validate these results on a large sample, using longitudinal measures over several months. This intervention appears promising as a countermeasure to extreme missions and occupations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:46:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-495dacdd64a143f6bd4164441ec39417 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:46:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-495dacdd64a143f6bd4164441ec394172023-11-22T12:39:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952023-11-011410.3389/fneur.2023.12869191286919Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationalityBarbara Le Roy0Barbara Le Roy1Barbara Le Roy2Charles Martin-Krumm3Charles Martin-Krumm4Charles Martin-Krumm5Adèle Gille6Sandrine Jacob7Cécile Vigier8Sylvain Laborde9Sylvain Laborde10Damien Claverie11Stéphane Besnard12Stéphane Besnard13Marion Trousselard14Marion Trousselard15Marion Trousselard16Stress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceCNES, Paris, FranceAPEMAC/EPSAM, ER 4360, Metz, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceAPEMAC/EPSAM, ER 4360, Metz, FranceVCR, École de Psychologues Praticiens, Catholic Institute of Paris, EA Religion, Culture et Société, Paris, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceDepartment of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, GermanyUFR STAPS, Normandie Université Caen, Caen, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceVERT-EX, Caen, FranceCHU Caen, Caen, FranceStress Neurophysiology Unit, French Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute, Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceAPEMAC/EPSAM, ER 4360, Metz, FranceFrench Military Health Service Academy, Paris, FranceIntroductionLong-duration space missions will be a real challenge for maintaining astronauts' adaptability. Research on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is expanding rapidly, and its modalities constitute a major research challenge. A growing number of reviews stress the need to validate biomarkers for monitoring effects to enhance our understanding of the processes by which taVNS acts. Heart rate variability (HRV) appears to be a relevant candidate that informs on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This is a promising technique to minimize the pathogenic effects of such large-scale missions and thus might be a relevant countermeasure. This study aimed to investigate the impact of taVNS on cognitive, psychological, and physiological functioning, including ANS functioning, and the benefits of increasing the number of taVNS sessions.MethodA total of 44 healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the two cross-over protocols: a single session protocol (one taVNS and one sham simulation) or a repeated session protocol (three taVNS and three sham simulations). Cognitive, psychological, and physiological measures were performed before (pre) and after (post) each intervention. Sleep monitoring was only recorded before the first and after the last intervention in each protocol. For the repeated session protocol only, participants were allocated to two groups according to their parasympathetic activation gain during the three interventions: high parasympathetic delta (HPd) and low parasympathetic delta (LPd).ResultsParticipants in the repeated session protocol increased their HRV, cognitive performance, and sleep efficiency. In particular, taVNS induced higher parasympathetic activation and cardiac flexibility compared to the sham simulation in the repeated session protocol. Nevertheless, the perception of stress may indicate a nocebo effect of the repeated session. The HPd profile had higher interoceptive awareness, HRV highlighted by non-linear measures, and cognitive performance, but presented a decrease in some indicators of sleep efficiency compared to the LPd profile.ConclusiontaVNS seems to induce positive health outcomes, especially when the stimulation is repeated three times per week. Our findings highlight the benefits of parasympathetic activation during taVNS on psychophysiological and cognitive functioning. Further research is needed to validate these results on a large sample, using longitudinal measures over several months. This intervention appears promising as a countermeasure to extreme missions and occupations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1286919/fulladaptationcognitioncountermeasurehealthstresstaVNS |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Barbara Le Roy Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Charles Martin-Krumm Adèle Gille Sandrine Jacob Cécile Vigier Sylvain Laborde Sylvain Laborde Damien Claverie Stéphane Besnard Stéphane Besnard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard Marion Trousselard Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality Frontiers in Neurology adaptation cognition countermeasure health stress taVNS |
| title | Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| title_full | Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| title_short | Evaluation of taVNS for extreme environments: an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| title_sort | evaluation of tavns for extreme environments an exploration study of health benefits and stress operationality |
| topic | adaptation cognition countermeasure health stress taVNS |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1286919/full |
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