PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Perception Science
This article is part of the Research TopicGravitational Influence on Human Cognition and Behavior: Emerging ResearchView all articles
TaVNS as a Potential Countermeasure for Neurocognitive Decline in Microgravity
Provisionally accepted
- Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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Exposure to microgravity induces significant physiological, cognitive, and psychomotor changes in the human body. While countermeasures such as resistance exercise and cardiovascular conditioning have been developed to address musculoskeletal and circulatory issues, there remains a critical gap in mitigating neurophysiological and cognitive deficits caused by microgravity. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that promises to enhance psychomotor function, and cognitive performance in microgravity as well as on Earth. This article examines the challenges of spaceflight, particularly cognitive impairments and related psychomotor dysfunction, and explores the potential application of taVNS in space. The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying microgravity-related decline and the proposed mechanism of action of taVNS are discussed, focusing on its effects on neuroplasticity, autonomic regulation, and sensorimotor integration. TaVNS emerges as a promising countermeasure to mitigate neuropsychological impairments associated with exposure to microgravity.
Keywords: taVNS, cognitive impairments, microgravity, parabolic flight, space medicine
Received: 14 Oct 2025; Accepted: 18 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fricke, Wienke and Zaehle. 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: Tino Zaehle, tino.zaehle@ovgu.de
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