Tragus based Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Stress Reduction

Abstract

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation is fast becoming a popular alternative treatment method for various health disorders. The authors investigated the effects of auricular vagus nerve stimulation at tragus for activating the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress, in light of mixed results from other studies. Stimulation frequency of 25 Hz with a pulse-width of 200 μs was administered at tragus with ECG data recorded during pre- and post-stimulation trials to investigate changes in the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) parameters of heart rate variability (HRV). The results from five subjects demonstrate an increase in the HF component and a decrease in LF when comparing pre- and post- stimulation values, denoting that VNS stimulated more of the parasympathetic activity. The LF/HF ratio was reduced for all participants after stimulation, with an average reduction of 64:5% observed. Overall, this study has indicated the feasibility of using tragus as a stimulation site to stimulate the vagus nerve; tragus being easier to administrate than many alternative sites while still being effective for stress reduction.