Work

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation of the olfactory bulb

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a non-invasive technique that engages central neuromodulatory pathways and has been shown to modulate sensory processing across multiple modalities. Here, we investigated whether tVNS influences human olfactory perception. Sixty-seven healthy adults were assigned to one of two stimulation frequency groups, 25 Hz (beta) or 55 Hz (gamma), and each received 20 minutes of tVNS applied to the left cymba concha as well as a control condition with identical stimulation delivered to the left earlobe. Odor discrimination, odor intensity, and visual attention were assessed before and after stimulation.

DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/aurd8

Authors: Lundström, Johan N., Winter, Anja L., Aejmelaeus-Lindström, Andrea, Gregory, Kristen, Francis, Gregory, Thunell, Evelina, Arshamian, Artin, Jaen, Cristina, Dalton, Pamela

Language: English

Topic: Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research

Subfield: Neurology

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7148359743

Cites:

Cited by:

Related to: 10