Research update
We’re excited to share our latest work, now available as a preprint on bioRxiv:Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation during movement modulates motor neural circuitry without widespread cortical or autonomic activation
Cléo Perrin*, Flaminia Pallotti*, Tiziano Weilenmann, Clément Lhoste, Weronika Potok-Szybinska, Xue Zhang, Nicole Wenderoth, Olivier Lambercy, Dane Donegan, Paulius Viskaitis
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.07.663419v1
Our new study shows that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) during movement selectively enhances corticospinal excitability. This context-dependent effect, achieved without widespread autonomic activation, offers crucial insights for developing more precise, behaviorally-paired neurorehabilitation protocols. These results highlight the importance of behaviorally aligned neuromodulation protocols and offer new insights for developing targeted, task-paired interventions in neurorehabilitation.
Congratulations to the authors, Cléo Perrin and Flaminia Pallotti under guidance of Dr. Dane Donegan and Dr. Paulius Viskaitis, collaborators and the entire team working on making stroke recovery a less arduous journey! We look forward to discussions and collaborations with others working on state-dependent neuromodulation, VNS, and motor system recovery.
