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tVNS® activates the body’s natural communication pathway between the body and brain, supporting mood regulation, stress processing, pain perception, inflammatory balance, and neuroplasticity through gentle, repeated stimulation.
Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, abbreviated tVNS, is a non-invasive treatment method in which specific branches of the vagus nerve are electrically stimulated through the skin. “Transcutaneous” means: without surgery, i.e. from the outside.
The vagus nerve is an important nerve that influences many bodily functions, including mood, stress processing, sleep, heart rate, and pain perception. In tVNS, the vagus nerve is stimulated with gentle electrical impulses at a specific location on the ear, the so-called cymba conchae.
Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) therefore uses a natural communication pathway between the body and the brain: the vagus nerve. This nerve transmits information from the body directly to important control centers in the brain.
Through gentle electrical stimulation, signaling pathways are activated that influence neurotransmitters, stress systems, and the adaptability of the brain (neuroplasticity).
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers through which nerve cells communicate with one another. Activation of the vagus nerve can indirectly influence the release of several important neurotransmitters:
This plays a central role in:
tVNS activates brain areas that regulate serotonergic nerve cells. As a result, serotonin activity in the brain can increase, similar to some antidepressants, but via a neural rather than chemical pathway.
This influences:
Through connections to the so-called locus coeruleus, tVNS can stabilize noradrenaline regulation. This can help dampen excessive stress reactions without making a person alert or nervous.
These two neuro-transmitters regulate the balance between:
Studies suggest that tVNS can shift this balance toward greater neuronal stability, which is important in anxiety, pain, and overstimulation.
The vagus nerve is a central component of the so-called parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and regeneration system.”
Stress hormone release (e.g. cortisol) can decrease, and heart rate variability can increase (a sign of good stress regulation).
The body’s anti-inflammatory effect can be activated
(this is referred to as the cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex).
This is particularly relevant because chronic stress and silent inflammation play a role in many neurological and psychological disorders.
A particularly exciting aspect of tVNS is its possible influence on neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to:
In conditions such as depression or chronic pain, unfavorable neuronal loops are often active (e.g. rumination, pain memory, overstimulation).
Through repeated activation of specific brain networks, tVNS can:
Put simply: tVNS gives the brain a gentle impulse to loosen old patterns and enable new pathways. That is why it does not work immediately like a painkiller, but develops its effects over time and repetition.
Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation can:
It therefore does not suppress symptoms, but supports regulation and the body’s own balance.
Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation is used as a complementary therapy option. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS®) is not used as a substitute for medical treatment, but as a complementary therapy.
This means it can complement and support an existing treatment, but generally does not replace medication or psychotherapy.
tVNS® acts on a central control system of the body, the vagus nerve. Among other things, it influences stress responses, mood, pain processing, and inflammatory processes. As a complementary therapy, tVNS® can:
Especially in chronic conditions, where multiple factors interact, such a holistic approach can be beneficial.
Invasive vagus nerve stimulation (iVNS) requires surgical implantation of a stimulator. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS®) follows the same basic principle, but without surgery. This results in several important advantages:
A uniquely suited anatomical aspect for transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation is the outer ear. According to studies, there is 100% vagus nerve innervation in the cymba conchae. The cymba conchae is a small depression in the upper part of the auricle. It is one of the few places on the human body where vagus nerve fibres run directly and superficially. This makes the cymba conchae particularly suitable for non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve, without any surgery. With tVNS®, afferent branches and fibres of the vagus nerve are targeted in the cymba conchae, i.e., nerve fibres that transmit information from the body to the brain. This explains why stimulation can have strong effects on central processes in the brain. From an evolutionary perspective, the vagus nerve originates from very old nervous systems of early vertebrates. Even in early fish and amphibians there were: primitive gill nerves, visceral (organ-related) nerves and sensory nerves in the head region. Over the course of evolution, these structures were repurposed, relocated, and specialised. The auricular branch of the vagus nerve is a remnant of these ancient connections.
tVNS® E is currently the only transcutaneous, non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation device approved in Europe under the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR EU 2017/745). tVNS® E is explicitly approved for the indications epilepsy, chronic migraine, depression, and Prader-Willi syndrome. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation with tVNS® E is a systemic therapy because the afferent branch of the vagus nerve in the cymba conchae is targeted. It has been known for many years that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is associated with positive effects across many clinical conditions. Numerous research projects are currently underway in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, ME/CFS, ch
