Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study
Background: The vagus nerve plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. Modulating vagal activity via electrical stimulation (VNS) in patients and animal studies caused changes in food intake, energy metabolism, and body weight. However, the moderating impact of cognitive processes on...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00206/full |
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| author | Martina A. Obst Marcus Heldmann Marcus Heldmann Helena Alicart Marc Tittgemeyer Marc Tittgemeyer Thomas F. Münte Thomas F. Münte |
| author_facet | Martina A. Obst Marcus Heldmann Marcus Heldmann Helena Alicart Marc Tittgemeyer Marc Tittgemeyer Thomas F. Münte Thomas F. Münte |
| author_sort | Martina A. Obst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The vagus nerve plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. Modulating vagal activity via electrical stimulation (VNS) in patients and animal studies caused changes in food intake, energy metabolism, and body weight. However, the moderating impact of cognitive processes on VNS effects on eating behavior has not been investigated so far.Hypothesis: We hypothesized that transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) affects food intake by altering cognitive functions relevant to the processing of food-related information.Methods: Using a repeated-measurement design, we applied tVNS and a sham stimulation for 2 h on two different days in normal-weight subjects. We recorded standard scalp EEG while subjects watched food and object pictures presented in an oddball task. We analyzed the event-related potentials (ERPs) P1, P2, N2, and LPP and also examined the amount of consumed food and eating duration in a free-choice test meal.Results: Significant differences between stimulations were observed for the P1, P2, and N2 amplitudes. However, we found no tVNS-dependent modulation of food intake nor a specific food-related stimulation effect on the ERPs. Further analyses revealed a negative relationship between P2 amplitude and food intake for the sham stimulation. Significant effects are additionally confirmed by Bayesian statistics.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates tVNS’ impact on visual processing. Since the effects were similar between food and object stimuli, a general effect on visual perceptual processing can be assumed. More detailed investigations of these effects and their relationship with food intake and metabolism seem reasonable for future studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:50:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb4f957fcccc465ab859208b8111508c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:50:15Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb4f957fcccc465ab859208b8111508c2022-12-21T22:41:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612020-06-011410.3389/fnhum.2020.00206537866Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological StudyMartina A. Obst0Marcus Heldmann1Marcus Heldmann2Helena Alicart3Marc Tittgemeyer4Marc Tittgemeyer5Thomas F. Münte6Thomas F. Münte7Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyInstitute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyCognition and Brain Plasticity Group, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainMax-Planck-Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, GermanyCluster of Excellence in Cellular Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyInstitute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, GermanyBackground: The vagus nerve plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. Modulating vagal activity via electrical stimulation (VNS) in patients and animal studies caused changes in food intake, energy metabolism, and body weight. However, the moderating impact of cognitive processes on VNS effects on eating behavior has not been investigated so far.Hypothesis: We hypothesized that transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) affects food intake by altering cognitive functions relevant to the processing of food-related information.Methods: Using a repeated-measurement design, we applied tVNS and a sham stimulation for 2 h on two different days in normal-weight subjects. We recorded standard scalp EEG while subjects watched food and object pictures presented in an oddball task. We analyzed the event-related potentials (ERPs) P1, P2, N2, and LPP and also examined the amount of consumed food and eating duration in a free-choice test meal.Results: Significant differences between stimulations were observed for the P1, P2, and N2 amplitudes. However, we found no tVNS-dependent modulation of food intake nor a specific food-related stimulation effect on the ERPs. Further analyses revealed a negative relationship between P2 amplitude and food intake for the sham stimulation. Significant effects are additionally confirmed by Bayesian statistics.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates tVNS’ impact on visual processing. Since the effects were similar between food and object stimuli, a general effect on visual perceptual processing can be assumed. More detailed investigations of these effects and their relationship with food intake and metabolism seem reasonable for future studies.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00206/fulltVNSfoodERPP2 and N2brain stimulationhuman |
| spellingShingle | Martina A. Obst Marcus Heldmann Marcus Heldmann Helena Alicart Marc Tittgemeyer Marc Tittgemeyer Thomas F. Münte Thomas F. Münte Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study Frontiers in Human Neuroscience tVNS food ERP P2 and N2 brain stimulation human |
| title | Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study |
| title_full | Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study |
| title_short | Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on Brain Processing of Food Cues: An Electrophysiological Study |
| title_sort | effect of short term transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation tvns on brain processing of food cues an electrophysiological study |
| topic | tVNS food ERP P2 and N2 brain stimulation human |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnhum.2020.00206/full |
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