Impact of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Event-related Potentials during a Response Inhibition Task

Abstract As an emerging neuromodulation technique, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has shown promise in enhancing cognitive abilities. The present study used a combination of the go/no-go task and the stop-signal task experimental paradigm to examine the cognitive effects of taVNS on participants' EEG measures. Sixty-one healthy participants were randomly assigned to either the stimulation group or the sham group. Participants in the stimulation group received 100 Hz and 25 Hz stimulation in a counterbalanced order. We compared behavioral and EEG data before and after stimulation, and observed significant effects. The findings revealed that a 100-Hz taVNS significantly reduced participants' N2 latency in the stop trial, indicating potential improvement response inhibition. In addition, we noted a decreasing trend in alpha, theta, and delta band power during response inhibition after receiving a 100-Hz taVNS. These results suggest that a 100-Hz taVNS can enhance participants' response inhibition abilities, indicating its potential as a therapeutic approach for modulating cognitive functions.