The Effect of Short-Term Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation of Auricular Vagus Nerve on Parameters of Heart Rate Variability

Abstract

Many previous studies have demonstrated that transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has the potential to exhibit therapeutic effects similar to its invasive counterpart. An objective assessment of VNS requires a reliable biomarker of successful vagal activation. Although many potential biomarkers have been proposed, most studies have focused on heart rate variability (HRV). Despite the physiological rationale for HRV as a biomarker for assessing vagal stimulation, data on its effects on HRV are equivocal. To further advance this field, future studies investigating VNS should contain adequate methodological specifics that make it possible to compare the results between studies, to replicate studies, and to enhance the safety of study participants. This article describes the design and methodology of a randomized study evaluating the effect of short-term noninvasive stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve on parameters of HRV. Primary records of rhythmograms of all the subjects, as well as a dataset with clinical, instrumental, and laboratory data of all the current study subjects are in the public domain for possible secondary analysis to all interested researchers. The physiological interpretation of the obtained data is not considered in the article.