Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neural Technology
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1494272

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Modulation of the Noradrenergic Pathway in the Prefrontal Lobe

Provisionally accepted
Jincao ZHI Jincao ZHI 1Shiwen Zhang Shiwen Zhang 2Meiling Huang Meiling Huang 3Huan Qin Huan Qin 1He Xu He Xu 1Qing Chang Qing Chang 1Yan Wang Yan Wang 4*
  • 1 Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
  • 2 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
  • 4 Second Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmental impairments, inattention, motor hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Currently, there is no effective intervention that can completely cure it. One of the pathogenic mechanisms of ADHD involves abnormalities in the norepinephrine (NE) pathway within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In recent years, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has demonstrated promising potential in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, its application in the management of ADHD remains relatively unexplored. Previous studies have shown that taVNS exerts therapeutic effects on attention, cognition, arousal, perception, and behavioral regulation primarily through activating the vagus nerve conduction pathway, specifically targeting the nucleus tractus solitarius -locus coeruleus -NE pathway. These findings have led to the hypothesis that taVNS may be an effective intervention for ADHD, with NE and its pathway playing a pivotal role in this context. Therefore, this review comprehensively examines the correlation between NE pathway alterations in the PFC and ADHD, the mechanism of action of taVNS, and the potential role of the NE pathway in treating ADHD with taVNS, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation for clinical applications.

    Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, prefrontal lobe, Locus Coeruleus, Norepinephrine

    Received: 13 Sep 2024; Accepted: 15 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 ZHI, Zhang, Huang, Qin, Xu, Chang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yan Wang, Second Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.