La Marca Ehlert
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie » Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert » La Marca Ehlert
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Effects of auricular acupuncture on vagal activity | ||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) is a new treatment for different kinds of somatic and psychiatric disorders. Its invasive character limits the application to therapy-resistant patients e.g. with epilepsy or depression. Several studies have examined the effect of acupuncture on the autonomic nerve system in patients and healthy subjects. The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of manual and electrical auricular acupuncture on the activity of the vagal nerve. Fourteen healthy male subjects participated on four occasions to different conditions: a control condition without acupuncture (c), placebo acupuncture (p), manual acupuncture (m) and electrical acupuncture (e). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as an indicator of vagal activity was measured continuously before, during and after the different interventions. Positive and negative affect was measured before and after the interventions. The results show no effect of acupuncture on affect. But there is evidence for a significant increase of RSA during and after electrical acupuncture, compared to the other conditions. This data support the potential role of electrical auricular acupuncture as a method to alter vagal activity. Further studies should examine its effects in (sub)clinical populations. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | La Marca, R., Nedeljkovic, M., Yuan, L., Maercker, A. & Ehlert, U. (2010). Effects of auricular electrical stimulation on vagal activity in healthy men: evidence from a three-armed randomized trial. Clinical Science, 118, 537-546. | ||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | RSA, vagal nerve, auricular acupuncture | ||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
No project-specific funding |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Jun 2007 to Dec 2008 |