The field of neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as dementia and depression, presents significant social challenges, with no fully established therapeutic and preventive medical approaches. Beyond medication, enhancing cognitive performance and stress resilience is crucial for improving quality of life (QOL), health management, and reducing medical costs. Recent research has highlighted the critical role of the brain-gut axis in brain and mental health. The brain and mental health is closely linked to stimulation from the gut through various pathways, including the vagal nerve, hormonal, and immune systems. Notably, vagal nerve activation can rapidly influence brain conditions, with stimulation originating not only from the gut but also from sensory organs like smell, taste, and skin. Despite various approaches to modulating the vagal nerve, such as microbiome modulation, nutritional ingredients, and transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation, there remains a need for comprehensive investigation into their preventive and therapeutic effects on neurological and psychiatric diseases. These methods also hold promise for improving QOL in healthy adults.

This Research Topic aims to explore the advancements made over the past decade in the activation and modulation of the vagal nerve for brain and mental health. The primary objectives include answering specific questions about the mechanisms and efficacy of vagal nerve stimulation, testing hypotheses related to its therapeutic potential, and identifying optimal methods for its application. By addressing these aims, the research seeks to provide a deeper understanding of how vagal nerve activation can be harnessed to improve mental health and treat neurological conditions.

To gather further insights into the boundaries of vagal nerve activation and modulation, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Mechanisms of vagal nerve stimulation and its impact on cognitive and psychiatric function

- Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of vagal nerve modulation in treating neurological and psychiatric diseases

- Pre-clinical research on the effects of microbiome modulation and nutritional ingredients on vagal nerve activity

- The role of sensory organ stimulation in vagal nerve activation and autonomic nervous modulation

- Comparative studies of different vagal nerve stimulation techniques

- Long-term effects of vagal nerve modulation on cognitive performance and stress resilience and cognitive performance

- Innovations in transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation technology

- Reviews of current literature on the brain-gut axis and its implications for mental health

Topic editors Dr. Yasuhisa Ano and Dr. Takafumi Fukuda are affiliated with Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Submit your idea

Impact

Frontiers in Neuroscience

Submit your idea

Impact