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Updated: Jun 13, 2025
Laboratory Administration of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation taVNS: Technique, Targeting, and Considerations
Published on: January 7, 2019
Feasibility and effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in awake mice
Yu-Mei Yu1,2,3, Rui Yao4, Zhou-Liang Liu1,2,3
1Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Aims:
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is widely used to treat a variety of disorders because it is noninvasive, safe, and well tolerated by awake patients. However, long-term and repetitive taVNS is difficult to achieve in awake mice. Therefore, developing a new taVNS method that fully mimics the method used in clinical settings and is well-tolerated by awake mice is greatly important for generalizing research findings related to the effects of taVNS. The study aimed to develop a new taVNS device for use in awake mice and to test its reliability and effectiveness.
Methods:
We demonstrated the reliability of this taVNS device through retrograde neurotropic pseudorabies virus (PRV) tracing and evaluated its effectiveness through morphological analysis. After 3 weeks of taVNS application, the open field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) were used to evaluate anxiety-like behaviors, and the Y-maze test and novel object recognition test (NORT) were used to evaluate recognition memory behaviors, respectively.
Results:
We found that repetitive taVNS was well tolerated by awake mice, had no effect on anxiety-like behaviors, and significantly improved memory.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that this new taVNS device for repetitive stimulation of awake mice is safe, tolerable, and effective.
