Table 1. Difference across visits and conditions (sham stimulation; real taVNS) of clinical, gait parameters and STN β power.
| Sham stimulation | Real taVNS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | V0 | V1 | P | V0 | V1 | P | |||
| UPDRS III (MEDoff/STIMOFF) | 27.4 ± 17.5 | 27.5 ± 19.5 | 0.382 | 28.5 ± 19.7 | 29.4 ± 20.8 | 0.468 | |||
| Stand time (s) | 1.89 ± 0.14 | 1.93 ± 0.13 | 0.570 | 1.84 ± 0.13 | 1.89 ± 0.09 | 0.312 | |||
| Rotation time (s) | 1.97 ± 0.04 | 1.97 ± 0.07 | 0.921 | 1.94 ± 0.05 | 1.96 ± 0.05 | 0.484 | |||
| Total time (s) | 28.83 ± 4.64 | 26.90 ± 4.05 | 0.054 | 28.79 ± 5.48 | 26.63 ± 4.86 | 0.007 | |||
| Steps (n) | 25.5 ± 6.6 | 25.7 ± 5.4 | 0.796 | 26 ± 6 | 26.2 ± 5.4 | 1.000 | |||
| Sway (m) | 0.05 ± 0.01 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.546 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 0.04 ± 0.01 | 1.000 | |||
| Walking speed (m/s) | 1.01 ± 0.21 | 1.12 ± 0.23 | 0.109 | 1.09 ± 0.26 | 1.17 ± 0.28 | 0.027 | |||
| Step variability (R2) | 0.43 ± 0.09 | 0.43 ± 0.10 | 1.000 | 0.40 ± 0.14 | 0.47 ± 0.13 | 0.035 | |||
| Stride length (m) | 0.65 ± 0.15 | 0.66 ± 0.11 | 0.382 | 0.65 ± 0.13 | 0.66 ± 0.10 | 0.726 | |||
| Baseline | Inter-stim | Post-stim | Baseline | Inter-stim | Post-stim | ||||
| Right STN β power | 2.72 ± 0.69 | 2.29 ± 0.68 | 2.28 ± 0.84 | 0.18 | 2.69 ± 0.62 | 2.26 ± 0.67 | 2.13 ± 0.75 | 0.015 | |
| Left STN β power | 2.65 ± 0.59 | 2.64 ± 0.54 | 2.49 ± 0.8 | 0.11 | 2.53 ± 0.58 | 2.43 ± 0.72 | 2.26 ± 0.85 | 0.06 | |
Statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons in bold.
Abbreviations: taVNS, transauricular vagus nerve stimulation; STN, subthalamic nucleus; UPDRS-III, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scales part III; MED, medication.