Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation increases locus coeruleus function and memory performance in older individuals

Animal studies reported that vagus nerve stimulation increases noradrenalin release in target areas of the locus coeruleus (LC). Furthermore, after stimulation, animals exhibited improved retention performance. Evidence for memory improvement using transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), a non‐invasive alternative, is scarce. Given that the LC is affected by tau pathology early in life, we aimed to examine 1) whether tVNS can improve memory performance in older individuals and 2) whether tVNS targets the LC in older individuals.