Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Rodent Models: An Overview of Technical Considerations.

Author: Noller CM1,2,3, Levine YA4, Urakov TM5,6, Aronson JP2,3, Nash MS1,5,7
Affiliation:
1The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States.
2Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, United States.
3Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.
4SetPoint Medical Corporation, Valencia, CA, United States.
5Department of Neurological Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States.
6Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, United States.
7Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States.
Conference/Journal: Front Neurosci.
Date published: 2019 Sep 4
Other: Volume ID: 13 , Pages: 911 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00911. eCollection 2019. , Word Count: 191


Over the last several decades, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has evolved from a treatment for select neuropsychiatric disorders to one that holds promise in treating numerous inflammatory conditions. Growing interest has focused on the use of VNS for other indications, such as heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, ischemic stroke, and traumatic brain injury. As pre-clinical research often guides expansion into new clinical avenues, animal models of VNS have also increased in recent years. To advance this promising treatment, however, there are a number of experimental parameters that must be considered when planning a study, such as physiology of the vagus nerve, electrical stimulation parameters, electrode design, stimulation equipment, and microsurgical technique. In this review, we discuss these important considerations and how a combination of clinically relevant stimulation parameters can be used to achieve beneficial therapeutic results in pre-clinical studies of sub-acute to chronic VNS, and provide a practical guide for performing this work in rodent models. Finally, by integrating clinical and pre-clinical research, we present indeterminate issues as opportunities for future research.

KEYWORDS: electrical stimulation; nerve cuff electrode; neuromodulation; vagus nerve; vagus nerve stimulation

PMID: 31551679 PMCID: PMC6738225 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00911

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