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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.10.21.619457

Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Boosts Post-Error Accuracy During Perceptual Decision-Making

Su, S.·Vanvoorden, T.·Le Denmat, P.·Zenon, A.·Braconnier, C.·Duque, J.
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Abstract

The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system is a well-established regulator of behavior, yet its precise role remains unclear. Animal studies predominantly support a "gain" hypothesis, suggesting that the LC-NE system enhances sensory processing, while human studies have proposed an alternative "urgency" hypothesis, postulating that LC-NE primarily accelerates responses. To address this discrepancy, we administered transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) in two experiments involving 43 participants. In the first experiment, we showed that 4-second tVNS trains reliably induced greater pupil dilation compared to SHAM condition, indicating increased LC-NE activity. In the second experiment, we applied tVNS during a random dot motion task to assess its impact on perceptual decision-making. Notably, tVNS improved accuracy without affecting reaction times, which appears inconsistent with the "urgency" hypothesis. Drift-diffusion model analyses further supported the "gain" hypothesis, revealing that tVNS increased the drift rate, indicative of enhanced evidence accumulation. Accuracy and drift-rate improvements were especially pronounced following errors and in less proficient participants, who otherwise exhibited post-error declines in these measures under SHAM condition. Our findings suggest that the influence of the LC-NE system adapts to task demands, becoming especially beneficial in challenging contexts. Overall, this study underscores the potential of tVNS as a non-invasive tool to investigate the causal role of the LC-NE system in human behavior.

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Su, S., Vanvoorden, T., Le Denmat, P., Zenon, A., Braconnier, C., Duque, J.. 2024-10-22. Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Boosts Post-Error Accuracy During Perceptual Decision-Making. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.21.619457

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