Spirit Research

A trial links nerve stimulation and mindfulness to greater gains in inhibitory control

A randomized clinical trial found greater improvements in inhibitory control during negative emotions when mindfulness meditation was combined with noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation, compared with meditation alone, Bioengineer.org reports. The study examined the approach for men with alcohol use disorder.

The trial appeared in BMC Medicine and was led by a team that included Jiayi Lin, Fei Cheng and Jiang Du, according to Bioengineer.org. The report does not give the number of participants, the size of the measured improvement or the length of follow-up.

Published

The trial paired meditation with stimulation#

The researchers focused on inhibitory control under negative affect, or negative emotions, which they identified as a factor in the maintenance of alcohol use disorder, Bioengineer.org reports. The comparison was between mindfulness meditation alone and meditation combined with stimulation.

The technique used in the trial is called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, or taVNS. Wikipedia describes this form of stimulation as noninvasive and delivered through the skin to a branch of the vagus nerve. Bioengineer.org says the researchers were interested in connections between the brain and heart.

Mindfulness involves deliberately attending to present sensations, feelings, thoughts and surroundings without judgment, according to Wikipedia. Bioengineer.org reports that the researchers chose to study the combination because results from mindfulness meditation vary among individuals.

Other trials examine separate approaches#

A separate randomized trial led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai examined a mindfulness-based therapy alongside medication for opioid use disorder, Newswise reports. That study looked at responses to drug-related cues and natural rewards, rather than the alcohol trial's measure of inhibitory control.

The therapy in the opioid study combines mindfulness with changing how a person interprets drug-related triggers and paying attention to positive everyday experiences, according to Newswise. Study co-author Eric L. Garland of the University of California San Diego developed the approach.

Vagus nerve stimulation is also being studied for a different condition at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health. The Long Island Press reports that a trial led by Dr. Cynthia Aranow is examining whether noninvasive stimulation can reduce lupus symptoms, including pain and fatigue. Aranow said the trial was 50% enrolled.

Discover more