Abstract：
OBJECTIVE: Memory plays an essential role in daily life and is one of the first functions to deteriorate in cognitive impairment and dementia. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a promising therapeutic method; however, its ability to enhance memory is underexplored, especially considering long-term stimulation. We aimed to investigate the effect of a 2-week course of auricular tVNS (taVNS) on memory in a non-clinical population.
METHODS: This single-blind randomized placebo-wait-list controlled trial recruited 76 participants (30 men; mean age 48.32 years) and randomized them into four groups: early active/sham taVNS and late active/sham taVNS. Participation in the study lasted 4 weeks; early groups underwent 2 weeks intervention immediately following the first study site visit (days 0-13) and late groups 2 weeks after the first study site visit (days 14-27). Active and sham taVNS included 2 weeks of daily 4-h neurostimulation at the tragus or earlobe, respectively. To assess memory, we used the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test.
RESULTS: Two weeks of active taVNS, but not sham taVNS, improved immediate recall and short-term memory score both in early and late groups. Furthermore, the improvements persisted over subsequent follow-up in early active taVNS. Importantly, the effect of active taVNS was superior to sham for immediate recall in both early and late groups. There were no statistical differences in delayed recall.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that taVNS has potential to improve memory, particularly immediate recall, and may be an effective method in preventing memory loss and mitigating cognitive aging.
METHODS: This single-blind randomized placebo-wait-list controlled trial recruited 76 participants (30 men; mean age 48.32 years) and randomized them into four groups: early active/sham taVNS and late active/sham taVNS. Participation in the study lasted 4 weeks; early groups underwent 2 weeks intervention immediately following the first study site visit (days 0-13) and late groups 2 weeks after the first study site visit (days 14-27). Active and sham taVNS included 2 weeks of daily 4-h neurostimulation at the tragus or earlobe, respectively. To assess memory, we used the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test.
RESULTS: Two weeks of active taVNS, but not sham taVNS, improved immediate recall and short-term memory score both in early and late groups. Furthermore, the improvements persisted over subsequent follow-up in early active taVNS. Importantly, the effect of active taVNS was superior to sham for immediate recall in both early and late groups. There were no statistical differences in delayed recall.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that taVNS has potential to improve memory, particularly immediate recall, and may be an effective method in preventing memory loss and mitigating cognitive aging.
摘要：
目的：记忆在日常生活中起着至关重要的作用，并且是认知障碍和痴呆症恶化的首要功能之一。经皮迷走神经刺激（tVNS）是一种有前途的治疗方法；然而，它增强记忆的能力还没有得到充分开发，尤其是考虑到长期刺激。我们旨在研究非临床人群中2周的耳廓tVNS（taVNS）疗程对记忆的影响。
方法：这项单盲随机安慰剂等待名单对照试验招募了76名参与者（30名男性；平均年龄48.32岁），并将他们随机分为四组：早期活动/假taVNS和晚期活动/假taVNS。参与研究持续4周;早期组在第一次研究地点访问后立即进行2周干预(第0-13天),晚期组在第一次研究地点访问后2周(第14-27天)。主动和假taVNS包括2周每天4小时的耳屏或耳垂神经刺激，分别。为了评估记忆，我们使用了Rey听觉语言学习测试.
结果：两周的活性taVNS，但不是假的，改善早期和晚期组的即时回忆和短期记忆评分。此外，在早期活动性taVNS的后续随访中,改善持续.重要的是,在早期和晚期组,活性taVNS的即时召回效果优于假手术.延迟召回没有统计学差异。
结论：我们的研究结果表明，taVNS具有改善记忆力的潜力，特别是立即召回，并且可能是预防记忆丧失和减轻认知衰老的有效方法。
方法：这项单盲随机安慰剂等待名单对照试验招募了76名参与者（30名男性；平均年龄48.32岁），并将他们随机分为四组：早期活动/假taVNS和晚期活动/假taVNS。参与研究持续4周;早期组在第一次研究地点访问后立即进行2周干预(第0-13天),晚期组在第一次研究地点访问后2周(第14-27天)。主动和假taVNS包括2周每天4小时的耳屏或耳垂神经刺激，分别。为了评估记忆，我们使用了Rey听觉语言学习测试.
结果：两周的活性taVNS，但不是假的，改善早期和晚期组的即时回忆和短期记忆评分。此外，在早期活动性taVNS的后续随访中,改善持续.重要的是,在早期和晚期组,活性taVNS的即时召回效果优于假手术.延迟召回没有统计学差异。
结论：我们的研究结果表明，taVNS具有改善记忆力的潜力，特别是立即召回，并且可能是预防记忆丧失和减轻认知衰老的有效方法。
