This project will utilize a home-operated stimulator in 1) a healthy young adult population and 2) a healthy older adult population to provide a proof of concept of home-use of transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS). tVNS is believed to modulate cognitive performance.
The vagal nerve is a major component of the autonomic nervous system and mediates the physiological responses of major organs during moments of stress and learning, including brain areas that modulate cognitive performance. Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) has been indicated to improve stress response and to enhance neuroplasticity by directly impacting brain structures critical for cognition. Historically, VNS methods required neurosurgery and were reserved for medically intractable epilepsy or other severe conditions. Today, vagal nerve stimulation can be performed with a minimal-risk non-invasive approach without surgery through a technique called transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation (tVNS). This project will utilize a home-operated stimulator in healthy young adult and healthy older populations to provide a proof of concept of practical home-use stimulation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
10
vagal nerve stimulation
University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute
Gainesville, Florida, United States
System Usability Scale
This is a standard version of a usability scale. Subjects will be given 10 statements regarding the usability of the equipment they used, and they will report how much they agree with each statement on a 1 - 5 scale (1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree). The score range is 10-50 where 50 demonstrates the highest acceptance of the usability of the device and 10 demonstrates the lowest acceptance of the usability of the device.
Time frame: Day 7 reported
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