Zhu Siyu, Liu Qi, Zhang Xiaolu, Zhou Menghan, Zhou Xinqi, Ding Fangyuan, Zhang Rong, Becker Benjamin, Kendrick Keith M, Zhao Weihua
The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China.
The Laboratory of Sport Psychology, School of Sport Training, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, 610041, PR China.
Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2024 Apr-Jun;24(2):100462. doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100462. Epub 2024 Apr 17.
Inhibitory control represents a core executive function that critically facilitates adaptive behavior and survival in an ever-changing environment. Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been hypothesized to improve behavioral inhibition performance, however the neurocomputational mechanism of taVNS-induced neuroenhancement remains elusive.
In the current study, we investigated the efficacy of taVNS in a sham-controlled between-subject functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) experiment with an emotional face Go/No-Go paradigm in ninety healthy young adults.
After a data quality check, eighty-two subjects were included in the final data analysis. Behaviorally, the taVNS improved No-Go response accuracy, together with computational modeling using Hierarchical Bayesian estimation of the Drift Diffusion Model (HDDM) indicating that it specifically reduced the information accumulation rate for Go responses, and this was negatively associated with increased accuracy of No-Go responses. On the neural level, taVNS enhanced engagement of the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during inhibition of angry expression faces and modulated functional couplings (FCs) within the prefrontal inhibitory control network. Mediation models revealed that taVNS-induced facilitation of inhibitory control was critically mediated by a decreased information accumulation for Go responses and concomitantly enhanced neurofunctional coupling between the inferior and orbital frontal cortex.
Our findings demonstrate a potential for taVNS to improve emotional inhibitory control via reducing pre-potent responses and enhancing FCs within prefrontal inhibitory control networks, suggesting a promising therapeutic role in treating specific disorders characterized by inhibitory control deficits.
抑制控制是一项核心执行功能，对促进在不断变化的环境中的适应性行为和生存至关重要。非侵入性经皮耳迷走神经刺激（taVNS）被认为可以改善行为抑制表现，然而，taVNS诱导神经增强的神经计算机制仍不清楚。
在本研究中，我们在一项假对照的受试者间功能性近红外光谱（fNIRS）实验中，对90名健康年轻成年人采用情绪面孔Go/No-Go范式，研究了taVNS的疗效。
经过数据质量检查后，82名受试者被纳入最终数据分析。在行为上，taVNS提高了No-Go反应的准确性，同时使用漂移扩散模型（HDDM）的分层贝叶斯估计进行的计算建模表明，它特别降低了Go反应的信息积累率，并且这与No-Go反应准确性的提高呈负相关。在神经层面，taVNS增强了双侧额下回（IFG）在抑制愤怒表情面孔时的参与度，并调节了前额叶抑制控制网络内的功能耦合（FCs）。中介模型显示，taVNS诱导的抑制控制促进作用主要由Go反应的信息积累减少以及眶额皮质和额下回之间神经功能耦合增强介导。
我们的研究结果表明，taVNS有可能通过减少优势反应和增强前额叶抑制控制网络内的FCs来改善情绪抑制控制，这表明其在治疗以抑制控制缺陷为特征的特定疾病方面具有潜在的治疗作用。
