基于静息态功能磁共振成像初探调息联合经皮耳穴迷走神经刺激的协同效应OA

Objective To observe the synergistic effects of breathing training and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).Method Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited and divided into two groups to conduct a randomized crossover-controlled trial.One group first received an immediate intervention of taVNS for 30 min,followed by a 30-min intervention of breathing training combined with taVNS,with an interval of at least 1 week between the two sessions.The other group received the interventions in reverse order.For both groups,rs-fMRI was performed before and after each intervention.The five distinct subregions of the anterior cingulate cortex were selected as regions of interest(ROIs)to examine changes in whole-brain functional connectivity(FC)before and after the two types of interventions.Result Following immediate intervention of breathing training combined with taVNS,the functional connectivity(FC)between the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the left pregenual anterior cingulate cortex,as well as between the right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and the left insula,was decreased;immediate intervention of taVNS reduced the FC between the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the right angular gyrus.All brain regions showing significant differences described above survived Gaussian random field correction(voxel-level P＜0.01,cluster-level P＜0.05).Post-hoc analysis revealed consistent trends in the effects of the two types of interventions.Conclusion Breathing training can synergistically enhance the brain effects of taVNS on emotion-associated brain regions,particularly those related to anxiety.This study provides preliminary evidence for the synergistic effects between breathing training and taVNS,suggesting that integrating breathing training may be one of the potential approaches for enhancing the emotional regulatory effect of taVNS.