Alpha Modulation by Personalized TaVNS and Meditation: A High-Density EEG Exploration
Poster No:
26
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
JUNLING GAO1, Rainbow Ho1, Xindi LI1, Calvin Cheng1, Gan Huang2, Hang Kin Leung1, Brandon Chan3, Hin Hung Sik1
Institutions:
1The University of Hong Kong, PR China, Hong Kong, 2Shen Zhen University, shenzhen, China, 3New York University, New York city, NY
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (TaVNS) emerges as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique to improve cognitive and emotional well-being (Farmer et al. 2020). TaVNS alongside meditation, has been shown to influence alpha oscillations, which play a pivotal role in cognitive and emotional regulation (Klimesch 2012) . Furthermore, personalized TaVNS can potentially enhance its effects of TaVNS . This pilot study seeks to unravel the distinct alpha modulation profiles induced by various TaVNS and meditation, paving the way for personalized therapeutic interventions.
Methods:
A high-density EEG (128 channels) and a portable TaVNS device were used to stimulate and record neural activity from a single participant under six distinct conditions: rest, meditation, and two TaVNS (each last 15 minutes). Two TaVNS' parameters were at 10Hz (individualized for alpha peak) or 30Hz (expiratory-gated), using 250μs pulses tailored to each participant's maximum tolerance. TaVNS was administered at 3 second stimulation (During TaVNS) and 3 seconds rest (After TaVNS), alternately. We focused our analysis on three key metrics: Alpha Peak Frequency (APF), Alpha Peak Power, and Average Alpha Power within the 9-11 Hz band. These metrics were subjected to topographical analysis (Figure 1) and robust statistical comparisons, supplemented by effect size evaluations to gauge the magnitude of observed effects.
·Figure 1: Topographical maps of alpha power illustrating the distinct spatial patterns during TaVNS and meditation.
Results:
Similar to Meditation, alpha peak power and average power increased significantly after both types of TaVNS stimulation. While during 10Hz TaVNS, a dramatic surge in alpha power, significantly surpassing both the meditation condition (p<0.001) and baseline rest (p<0.001), likely reflect the artefact by directly electrical signals. Notably, APF exhibited a subtle yet significant reduction from 10.64 Hz at baseline to 10.22 Hz during 10Hz TaVNS (p<0.001), suggesting a potential entrainment effect. In contrast, meditation fostered a more widespread and sustained alpha enhancement without altering the APF. See figure 1 and table 1.
·Table 1: Alpha metrics and statistical comparisons across experimental conditions, highlighting significant differences and effect sizes.
Conclusions:
This preliminary study highlight the complexity of TaVNS-induced neural modulation, where genuine entrainment effects must be carefully distinguished from stimulation artifacts. It implies that personalized TaVNS including expiratory-gated TaNVS and 10 Hz could both alter the alpha wave similar to that of meditation. The findings during 10Hz TaVNS hints at a resonance phenomenon where external stimulation aligns with the brain's intrinsic alpha oscillators, effectively "pulling" the APF closer to the stimulation frequency. This study advances our understanding of personalized neuromodulation while emphasizing the need for robust artifact mitigation in future investigations combining electrical stimulation with EEG recordings.
Brain Stimulation:
Non-invasive Electrical/tDCS/tACS/tRNS 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG 2
Keywords:
Behavioral Therapy
Data analysis
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
Emotions
Neurological
Therapy
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Was this research conducted in the United States?
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
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Provide references using APA citation style.
Farmer, A. D., Strzelczyk, A., Finisguerra, A., Gourine, A. V., Gharabaghi, A., Hasan, A., Burger, A. M., Jaramillo, A. M., Mertens, A., Majid, A., Verkuil, B., Badran, B. W., Ventura-Bort, C., Gaul, C., Beste, C., & Warren, C. M. (2020). International consensus based review and recommendations for minimum reporting standards in research on transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (Version 2020). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, 568051. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.568051