Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on motor planning: a multimodal signal study

Motor planning plays a pivotal role in daily life. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been demonstrated to enhance decision-making efficiency, illustrating its potential use in cognitive modulation. However, current research primarily focuses on behavioral and single-modal electrophysiological signal, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG). To investigate the effect of taVNS on motor planning, a total of 21 subjects were recruited for this study and were divided into two groups: active group (n = 10) and sham group (n = 11). Each subject was required to be involved in a single-blind, sham-controlled, between-subject end-state comfort (ESC) experiment. The study compared behavioral indicators and electrophysiological features before and following taVNS. The results indicated a notable reduction in reaction time and an appreciable increase in the proportion of end-state comfort among the participants following taVNS, accompanied by notable alterations in motor-related cortical potential (MRCP) amplitude, low-frequency power of HRV (LF), and cortico-cardiac coherence, particularly in the parietal and occipital regions. These findings show that taVNS may impact the brain and heart, potentially enhancing their interaction, and improve participants’ ability of motor planning.