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. 2022;15(3):447-457.
doi: 10.3233/PRM-210090.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) given for poor feeding in at-risk infants also improves their motor abilities

Turki Aljuhani  1   2 , Hannah Haskin  3 , Shelby Davis  3 , Amy Reiner  3 , Hunter G Moss  4   5 , Bashar W Badran  6 , Mark S George  6   7   5 , Dorothea Jenkins  8 , Patricia Coker-Bolt  3
Affiliations

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) given for poor feeding in at-risk infants also improves their motor abilities

Turki Aljuhani et al. J Pediatr Rehabil Med. 2022.

Abstract

Purpose: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that may improve oromotor skills when paired with feeding in at-risk infants, but effects on other motor function and how motor function relates to white matter (WM) microstructure are unknown.

Methods: In this prospective study, infants failing oral feeds and slated for gastrostomy tube (G-tube) placement received taVNS paired with bottle feeding daily for 2-3 weeks. The effects of taVNS-paired feeding on general and specific head movements were investigated using the Specific Test of Early infant motor Performance (STEP) and diffusion MRI obtained before and after taVNS treatment. Scores between and within groups (taVNS responders, attained full oral feeds; non-responders, received G-tubes) were compared.

Results: Performance on head movement items improved significantly in responders but not in non-responders (p < 0.05). Total STEP scores were significantly higher in responders after taVNS treatment than non-responders (p = 0.04). One STEP item, rolling by arm, was associated with significantly greater change in WM tract microstructure (p < 0.05) in the responders.

Conclusion: These results suggest that pairing feeding with taVNS may affect specific head and neck movements to a greater extent in infants who are able to attain full oral feeds.

Keywords: Diffusion MRI; Early motor movement; Oral-feed; STEP; infant development; taVNS.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
STEP items related to head and neck movements.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
CONSORT flow diagram of the study participants.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Difference in the change in total STEP score (A) and specific STEP items (B, C, D, E) between the taVNS Reponders versus Non-Responders.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
WM tract regions are different following TBSS comparing high and low performing infants in Rolling by Arm (panel A) and Rolling by Leg (panel B) with WM tract atlas regions for refence (panel C). (A) Red-yellow voxels denote the WM tracts with significantly greater positive ΔFA in infants who performed well on STEP item Rolling by Arm item after taVNS treatment vs infants who performed poorly (p < 0.05). The left hemispheric tracts were: anterior and posterior limbs of internal capsule (ALIC and PLIC), external capsule (EC), inferior frontooccipital fasciculus (IFOF), and corona radiata (CR). (B) Regions in red denote WM tracts with significantly greater ΔFA in infants who performed well on STEP item Rolling by Leg item after taVNS treatment vs infants who performed poorly (p < 0.08). The right hemispheric WM clusters correspond to parts of the EC, as well as the ALIC and PLIC, frontal corona radiata, cortico-spinal tract and lower optic radiations. (C) Colored regions from the John’s Hopkins neonatal WM atlas for reference and orientation to the relative location of the IFOF (green), EC (yellow), ALIC (blue), PLIC (light-blue), CR (pink) and optic radiations (red).
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