electroCore announces AFRL reported data on gammaCore nVNS

electroCore announced that the Air Force Research Laboratories, AFRL, reported data from its study on the ability of gammaCore non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation, nVNS, to improve second language learning. The study was conducted at the Defense Language Institute, DLI, in Monterey, CA, the US Department of Defense’s premier language school. The study was supported by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, / AFRL within the DARPA Targeted Neuroplasticity Training, TNT, program. The study recruited 36 student participants from DLI’s Arabic school house. Each subject was assessed on day 1 to establish a baseline. On days 2-4, two 2-minute gammaCore (nVNS) stimulation treatments were self-administered by the subject, each before and after training. Assessments were taken each treatment day, and on day 5 where there was no treatment, assessments were conducted to assess possible carryover effects. The study showed a significant positive effect of gammaCore (nVNS) over sham on language recall, thereby suggesting gammaCore’s (nVNS) ability to significantly improve the recall of a foreign language compared to sham. The improvement achieved through gammaCore (nVNS) treatment on days 2-4 was maintained on day 5 demonstrating that the recall advantage that emerged during training was sustained after the completion of treatment. All participants completed the AFRL Mood Questionnaire on each dayof the study. From the a priori-selected three scales of the AFRL Mood Questionnaire, participants receiving gammaCore (nVNS) showed significant increases in energy and focus over the course of each training session compared to sham participants, and their calm score also trended towards an improvement from gammaCore (nVNS).