Using breathing and gentle nerve stimulation to help the brain clear waste
Neuroimaging the impact of respiration and respiratory-gated neuromodulation on human glymphatic physiology
This research tests whether slower breathing combined with gentle, skin-level vagus nerve stimulation can increase fluid flow that helps clear waste from the brains of people at risk for Alzheimer's.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11262294 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You will have MRI scans while researchers measure how your breathing affects cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in the brain. They will compare your natural breathing to guided slower-breathing and then add noninvasive, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation timed to the respiratory cycle. A new fast fMRI method will be used to see flow in large ventricles and tiny perivascular spaces that help clear metabolic waste. The team wants to know whether combining breathing guidance with breath‑timed nerve stimulation boosts the brain's waste‑clearing flow.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults willing to undergo MRI who are older or have early or at‑risk Alzheimer's disease and who can follow breathing instructions and attend imaging visits.
Not a fit: People with MRI contraindications (such as pacemakers or certain metal implants), severe respiratory disease, or who cannot tolerate stimulation or follow breathing cues are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to a safe, noninvasive way to boost the brain's waste‑clearing system and potentially slow Alzheimer's‑related damage.
How similar studies have performed: Animal experiments and small human studies have linked breathing and vagus‑nerve stimulation to changes in brain fluid movement, but using respiratory‑gated stimulation specifically to boost glymphatic clearance in humans is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lewis, Laura Diane — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lewis, Laura Diane
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.