ABSTRACT
Objective: Non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) paired with oral feeding is a novel intervention for infants with feeding delays that may improve feeding and help avoid a gastrostomy tube (Gtube). However, the long-term impact of this neurostimulation on infant's development remains unknown. We investigated the neurodevelopmental and sensory outcomes of infants who received taVNS paired with bottle feeding. Method(s): Twenty-one of 35 toddlers who participated in the open label trial of taVNS paired with one or two feeds a day for 2-3 weeks, underwent comprehensive developmental assessments at 18 months of age using Cognitive Adaptive Test, Clinical Linguistics and Auditory Milestone, and Peabody gross motor scores. Twelve of those assessed achieved full oral feeds ('responders') and 9 had G-tube placed for feeds ('non-responders'). Before COVID, 12 toddlers (5 responders, 7 non-responders) were also assessed in the home using the Bayley-III and Sensory Profile (SP-2) assessments. Area deprivation index (ADI) was used to measure resource poor environments and relate to test scores. We used Fishers exact test and Pearson correlation coefficients to compare neurodevelopmental and sensory performance in responders versus non-responders. Result(s): taVNS responders showed significantly better general sensory processing in SP-2 than did non-responders (p =0.04). There were no significant differences in Bayley-III or CAT/CLAMS/ASQ scores in areas of cognition, receptive language, fine motor, and gross motor skills in this small sample size, but are similar to published scores for preterm infants who received G-tubes. ADI was not significantly associated with neurodevelopmental scores. Conclusion(s): These results suggest that taVNS paired with feeding may have a potential long-term positive neurodevelopmental effect on sensory processing in neonates with poor feeding. The current open-label results need testing in randomized controlled trials of taVNS paired with oral feeding in developmentally delayed infants failing oral feeds. Research Category and Technology and Methods Clinical Research: 12. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Keywords: Neurodevelopment, taVNS, feeding, developmental delaysCopyright © 2023