Objective To review the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation(tVNS)in targeted interventions for executive function among adults.Methods A systematic search of PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI and Wanfang data was conducted for original studies investigating tVNS intervention targeting executive function in adults,with publication during from inception to December,2024.Data extraction and scoping review were performed,with literature quality assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database(PEDro)scale.Results A total of 14 researches were included,from China,Germany,United States,Netherlands and Finland,involving 598 participants.The subjects were mainly healthy adults and also covered patient groups with refractory epilep-sy,post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep deprivation.The outcomes included three core components of execu-tive function:inhibitory control(response inhibition and interference control),working memory and cognitive flexibility.The parameter settings of tVNS varied depending on the researches;the stimulation target was mainly the cymba conchae;the stimulation intensity was mostly 0.5 to 2.4 mA;the stimulation frequency was mainly 25 Hz;the on/off period was mostly 30 s on/30 s off;the pulse width was 200 μs to 500 ms;and the intervention period was mainly a single acute stimulation of 30 to 75 minutes.Behavioral results indicated that tVNS was ef-fective on the response inhibition and working memory,but the effects on the interference control and cognitive flexibility were divergent.Mechanism-level evidence further supported that tVNS improved response inhibition and working memory by modulating frontal neural oscillations and enhancing frontal functional connectivity.In terms of safety,four researches reported transient adverse reactions,and no serious adverse events or participant withdrawals happened.Conclusion tVNS demonstrates safe and effective improvement of some core subcomponents of executive function in adults,with overall benefits influenced by neural circuit specificity and stimulation parameters.

Objective To review the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation(tVNS)in targeted interventions for executive function among adults.Methods A systematic search of PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI and Wanfang data was conducted for original studies investigating tVNS intervention targeting executive function in adults,with publication during from inception to December,2024.Data extraction and scoping review were performed,with literature quality assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database(PEDro)scale.Results A total of 14 researches were included,from China,Germany,United States,Netherlands and Finland,involving 598 participants.The subjects were mainly healthy adults and also covered patient groups with refractory epilep-sy,post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep deprivation.The outcomes included three core components of execu-tive function:inhibitory control(response inhibition and interference control),working memory and cognitive flexibility.The parameter settings of tVNS varied depending on the researches;the stimulation target was mainly the cymba conchae;the stimulation intensity was mostly 0.5 to 2.4 mA;the stimulation frequency was mainly 25 Hz;the on/off period was mostly 30 s on/30 s off;the pulse width was 200 μs to 500 ms;and the intervention period was mainly a single acute stimulation of 30 to 75 minutes.Behavioral results indicated that tVNS was ef-fective on the response inhibition and working memory,but the effects on the interference control and cognitive flexibility were divergent.Mechanism-level evidence further supported that tVNS improved response inhibition and working memory by modulating frontal neural oscillations and enhancing frontal functional connectivity.In terms of safety,four researches reported transient adverse reactions,and no serious adverse events or participant withdrawals happened.Conclusion tVNS demonstrates safe and effective improvement of some core subcomponents of executive function in adults,with overall benefits influenced by neural circuit specificity and stimulation parameters.