Brain plasticity and vagus nerve stimulation

Author: Marius Keute1, Alireza Gharabaghi2
Affiliation:
1 Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurotechnology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany. Electronic address: marius.keute@uni-tuebingen.de.
2 Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurotechnology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Conference/Journal: Auton Neurosci
Date published: 2021 Sep 7
Other: Volume ID: 236 , Pages: 102876 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102876. , Word Count: 152


After damage to the central nervous system, caused by traumatic injury or ischemia, plasticity becomes critically important for functional recovery. When this inherent capacity to adapt is limited despite training, external stimulation may support this process. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an effective method to enhance the effect of motor rehabilitation training on functional recovery. However, the mechanisms by which VNS exerts beneficial effects on cortical plasticity are not completely understood. Experimental work suggests that VNS fosters a neurochemical milieu that facilitates synaptic plasticity and supports reinforcement mechanisms. Animal studies, furthermore, suggest that VNS delivery is time-critical and that optima in the parameter space need to be titrated for effect maximization. Human studies suggest that VNS modifies corticospinal excitability. First studies in stroke patients show positive results for invasive, and also promising findings for non-invasive VNS.

Keywords: Motor plasticity; Motor restoration; Neurorehabilitation; Stroke; Traumatic injury; Vagus nerve stimulation.

PMID: 34537681 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102876

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