The Effect and Mechanism of taVNS in Modulating Human Social Attention

Summary

The objectives of this study are to investigate:

1. whether non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can enhance human interest in social stimuli in free-viewing and stressful tasks;
2. whether its effect on brain function occurs via modulating endogenous oxytocin release;
3. how the stimulation site and various parameters of taVNS should be set to effectively promote the above-mentioned changes in brain function.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does taVNS facilitate a preference for social relative to non-social stimuli in both free-viewing and stressful tasks?
2. Does taVNS increase peripheral concentrations of the neuropeptide oxytocin, and whether these changes are associated with enhanced social attention?
3. Does taVNS stimulation of the right tragus, left tragus, or bilateral tragus sites produce the strongest effects on oxytocin release and social attention?

Investigators will compare the effects of taVNS targeting the left tragus, right tragus, or bilateral tragus with ear-lobe sham stimulation (no vagal activation). Eye-tracking will be used across multiple experimental paradigns. For measurements of oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), saliva samples will be collected at baseline, immediately after taVNS, 20 min post-stimulation, and 30 min post-stimulation. Investigators will test whether (a) taVNS facilitates social attention, and (b) its effects are associated with elevated OT and AVP release.

Investigators hypothesize that taVNS will enhance social attention and oxytocin release, that changes in social attention will be associated with the magnitude of oxytocin release, and that bilateral tragus stimulation will produce the strongest effects on both social attention and oxytocin release.

Conditions

• Healthy Adult
• Role of Vagal Stimulation in Oxytocin Release
• Role of Vagal Stimulation in Social Attention

Interventions

DEVICE

taVNS

bilateral Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on earlobe

DEVICE

taVNS

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on left tragus

DEVICE

taVNS

taVNS only on the right tragus

DEVICE

taVNS

taVNS on the bilateral tragus

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

30 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-01

Primary Completion

2026-11-30

Completion

2026-11-30

Countries

• China

Study Locations