The role of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) as modulator of cognitive control – a neurobiochemical and aging-psychophysiological perspective

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Cognitive control is essential to cope with everyday life requirements and is modulated by several neurotransmitter systems. One of these is the noradrenergic system. These neurotransmitter systems have been shown to be modulated by transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) and are known to play an essential role in neural mechanisms associated with age-related cognitive declines. The aim of the planned project is to further the understanding how tVNS modulates cognitive control processes with special emphasis on age-dependent modulations and noradrenergic neural transmission. To this end, the project uses a multi-modal approach: It integrates psychophysiological (EEG) data acquired during three experiments assessing different facets of cognitive control with concomitantly recorded pupil diameter data. During these experiments, tVNS or sham tVNS is applied in healthy younger adult and elderly participants. Doing so, the project will provide causal mechanistic evidence how an increase in NA levels, as induced by tVNS, differentially modulate cognitive control functions in younger adults and elderly people. The fact that tVNS is increasingly considered as tool for cognitive enhancement, the project has major implications for our understanding and the possible applicability of this technique.