Adding Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Training Sessions May Boost How Well Sounds Are Perceived | NYU Langone News

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After training 38 mice to differentiate musical tones, the study team gained insights into whether vagus nerve stimulation boosts perceptual learning.

Just as a musician can train to more sharply distinguish subtle differences in pitch, mammals can improve their ability to interpret hearing, vision, and other senses with practice. This process, which is called perceptual learning, may be enhanced by activating a major nerve that connects the brain to nearly every organ in the body, a new study in mice shows.

Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the investigation centers on the vagus nerve, which carries signals between the brain and the heart, digestive system, and other organs. Experts have long explored targeting this nerve with mild electrical pulses to treat a wide variety of conditions ranging from epilepsy and depression to post-traumatic stress disorder and hearing disorders. Results of such efforts have been mixed, however, and the underlying mechanisms that might lead to improved hearing had until now remained unclear.

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