Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Enhances Emotional Bias Toward Happiness in Healthy Young Adults: A Comparative Study of Electric and Ultrasound Stimulation

초록

Introduction Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is an emerging neuromodulation technique showing promise in modulating affective processing. However, comparative evidence between electric and ultrasound modalities remains limited. This study aimed to investigate and compare the acute effects of electrical (E-taVNS) and ultrasound (U-taVNS) modalities on emotional bias in healthy young adults. Materials and Methods A total of 59 healthy participants were randomly assigned to E-taVNS or U-taVNS group and completed a single-blind, sham-controlled, within-subject study. Emotional bias was assessed using a facial emotion categorization task using morphed expressions at pre-, during-, and post stimulation phases. Results Active taVNS significantly enhanced emotional bias scores relative to sham when both stimulation modalities were pooled ( t (58) = 2.09, p = 0.020, d = 0.27), shifting categorization of ambiguous faces toward more positive interpretations. Within each modality, active stimulation produced significant pre-to-post increases in bias scores, though the active-versus-sham contrast did not reach statistical significance for either modality individually (E-taVNS: p = 0.107; U-taVNS: p = 0.063, one-tailed). No significant between-modality differences were detected. In addition, individual differences in interoceptive awareness correlated with treatment response magnitude. Conclusions When pooled, active electric and ultrasound taVNS acutely modulated emotional bias relative to sham stimulation. These findings support taVNS as a promising noninvasive, well-tolerated intervention for research on emotional bias, with potential for further investigation of personalized treatment based on interoceptive awareness. © 2026 The Authors.

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