Neuvana, a South Florida-based neurotech company, is proud to announce its flagship product, Xen, will be part of a $4 million research grant awarded to The University of Notre Dame, the recipient of the 2022 National Health Institute Director's Transformative Research Award.
The research project titled “Leveraging Noninvasive Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Smartphone Technology to Reduce Suicidal Behaviors and Suicide Among Highly Vulnerable Adolescents” will focus on using Neuvana’s product, Xen, to help adolescents learn how to regulate emotions by tapping into the body’s vagus nerve system.
Xen is the first-of-its-kind product available to consumers that targets the vagus nerve through electrical stimulation to help regulate the body’s nervous system. This is done through specially patented earbuds and powered through a smartphone app. When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the body naturally releases neurotransmitters that help induce a calmer state and can help people deal better with daily stressors. Vagus nerve stimulation has been studied for decades and has been shown to help mitigate the effects of chronic conditions that can lead to serious health issues.
The study is part of Notre Dame’s ongoing SPIRIT program (Suicide Prevention Initiative—Research, Intervention, & Training), which seeks to reduce the burden of self-harm and suicide on individuals, families, and communities. The program recruits undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in conducting research on risk and prevention of suicide attempts, and suicide among children, adolescents, and adults.
“The work Notre Dame is doing to help adolescents is so important and we are proud to play a small part in their mission to help lower the staggering suicide rates among teens in our country,” said Ami Brannon, CEO of Neuvana. “We invented this product to help people of all ages feel good and thus live a better life without relying solely on prescription drugs. It is moving to see how science and technology can aid in this truly transformative work to help save lives.”
For more information about the product, visit www.neuvanalife.com and to learn more about Notre Dame’s SPIRIT program, visit https://preventsuicide.nd.edu.
About Neuvana
Neuvana, LLC is a South Florida-based company at the intersection of wellness and technology, with a focus on Neuroscience. Founded in 2014 by Richard Cartledge, MD, an inventor and chief of cardiovascular surgery at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the company is comprised of engineers, clinicians, experienced business professionals and a world-class scientific advisory board with a shared goal: to create a platform to make the wellness benefits of neuroscience safe, easy and accessible to everyone. In late 2019, Neuvana released its flagship product, Xen, which stimulates the vagus nerve system through patented earbuds to help reduce stress, boost sleep and improve focus. For more information about Neuvana, its board members and product details, visit www.neuvanalife.com.
About The University of Notre Dame’s SPIRIT Program
The University of Notre Dame Suicide Prevention Initiative—Research, Intervention, & Training (SPIRIT), seeks to reduce the burden of self-harm and suicide on individuals, families, and communities. Its guiding philosophy is that effective prevention requires broad understanding of biological vulnerabilities (e.g., genetic influences, neural functions) and environmental risk factors (e.g., maltreatment, peer influences). This approach allows us to target specific mechanisms of self-injury and suicide, which improves prevention efficacy. For more information, visit the Research page for more details.
