REVIEW article
Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Neurocognitive Aging and Behavior
Volume 17 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1518198
This article is part of the Research TopicProgress in the Assessment and Intervention of Neurocognitive Aging and Neurodegenerative DiseasesView all 18 articles
Associations Between Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Cognitive Performance: Insights from Healthy Individuals and Various Disease Pathologies
Provisionally accepted
- Tianjin Third Central Hospital, Tianjin, China
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Cognitive dysfunction can manifest as declines in memory, learning, and attention, stemming from multifaceted factors. Risk factors encompass a spectrum including genetics, lifestyle choices, and personal medical history. Conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), depression, epilepsy, and exposure to surgical/anesthesia may correlate with cognitive impairment. Recent advancements in nerve stimulation techniques indicate significant potential for enhancing cognitive function. Understanding the mechanisms of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) can improve the management of cognitive impairment and promote its clinical application, advancing cognitive rehabilitation for patients. Following a comprehensive search and selection process, we finally included 47 studies that examined the effects of PNS on cognitive performances of both healthy individuals and various disease pathologies. The aggregated findings suggest that PNS influences crucial brain pathways, such as the ganglia and nucleus tractus solitarius, which project to areas essential for memory consolidation, including the hippocampus and amygdala. PNS improves cognitive function through mechanisms such as neurotransmitter modulation and neuronal activity regulation. However, the effects of PNS on cognitive function vary depending on the pathological condition. Additionally, the efficacy of PNS is influenced by both the intensity and pattern of stimulation. In summary, PNS appears to be a promising modality for enhancing cognitive function, particularly in neurological disorders such as AD and epilepsy. While further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms, current evidence suggests that PNS could offer a valuable therapeutic option for improving memory and attention. With its potential for broad application and non-invasive nature, PNS represents an exciting avenue for future research and clinical practice in cognitive enhancement.
Keywords: peripheral nerve stimulation, Cognitive Function, healthy individuals, Alzheimer's disease, Epilepsy
Received: 28 Oct 2024; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Yang, Wang, Wang, Liao, Liu, Zhang 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: Haiyun Wang, Tianjin Third Central Hospital, Tianjin, China
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