Are there different ways to stimulate the vagus nerve non-invasively?
Yes. Two non-invasive forms of transcutaneous VNS are, transauricular VNS (taVNS) and transcervical VNS (tcVNS) (Yuan and Silberstein, 2016b).
- taVNS stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve and innervates the conchae and cymba conchae cavity of the ear (Yuan and Silberstein, 2016b)
- tcVNS stimulates the stimulates both efferent and afferent VN fibers in the carotid sheath (Yuan and Silberstein, 2016b)
Both forms of non-invasive VNS involve a portable handheld device that sends electrical pulses through the skin to the branches of the vagus nerve, which activates it and causes it to release innate chemicals that can have therapeutic effects on bodily functions.
KNOWLEDGE HUB
The Byond Healthcare knowledge hub shares expert content about the vagus nerve and the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation, with a specific focus on non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, with individuals, healthcare providers and medical representatives.