Author: Chengwei Fu1,2,3, Xiaoyan Hou1, Chunye Zheng4, Yue Zhang1, Zhijie Gao1,5, Zhaoxian Yan1, Yongsong Ye1, Bo Liu1
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Department of Acupuncture, Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
<sup>2</sup> Department of Acupuncture, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
<sup>3</sup> Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
<sup>4</sup> Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
<sup>5</sup> The Second Clinical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Conference/Journal: Front Aging Neurosci
Date published: 2024 Oct 23
Other:
Volume ID: 16 , Pages: 1444703 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1444703. , Word Count: 275
Background:
Previous studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the mechanism underlying the effect of taVNS on PD remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of taVNS in PD patients.
Methods:
This crossover self-controlled study included 50 PD patients. Each patient underwent three sessions of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) under three conditions: real taVNS, sham taVNS, and no taVNS intervention. We analyzed whole-brain amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) from preprocessed fMRI data across different intervention conditions. ALFF values in altered brain regions were correlated with clinical symptoms in PD patients.
Results:
Forty-seven participants completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Real taVNS was associated with a widespread decrease in ALFF in the right hemisphere, including the superior parietal lobule, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, and cuneus (voxel p < 0.001, GRF corrected). The ALFF value in the right superior parietal lobule during real taVNS was negatively correlated with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (r = -0.417, p = 0.004, Bonferroni corrected).
Conclusion:
TaVNS could immediately modulate the functional activity of brain regions involved in superior parietal lobule, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, and cuneus. These findings offer preliminary insights into the mechanism of taVNS in treating PD and bolster confidence in its long-term therapeutic potential. TaVNS appears to reduce ALFF values in specific brain regions, suggesting a potential modulation mechanism for treating PD.
Keywords: Auricular therapy; Parkinson’s disease; amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations; functional magnetic resonance imaging; neuroimaging; transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation.
PMID: 39507202 PMCID: PMC11537911 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1444703