Effects of taVNS on physiological responses and cognitive performance during a mental stressor

Vagus & HRV · Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · 2025

RCT (n=41): ear-vagus stimulation raised HRV but did not blunt stress, anxiety or performance during a hard mental task. Gadget sceptics, take note.

Authors

Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience authors

Research lens

RCT (n=41): ear-vagus stimulation raised HRV but did not blunt stress, anxiety or performance during a hard mental task. Gadget sceptics, take note.

  • vagus
  • taVNS
  • stress
  • new-2026-10