Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): recent advances and future directions
Author: Christopher W Austelle1,2,3, Stewart S Cox4, Kristin E Wills4, Bashar W Badran4
Affiliation:
1 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94305, USA. austelle@stanford.edu.
2 Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, and the Sierra Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Palo Alto, CA, USA. austelle@stanford.edu.
3 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA. austelle@stanford.edu.
4 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Conference/Journal: Clin Auton Res
Date published: 2024 Oct 4
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1007/s10286-024-01065-w. , Word Count: 252
Purpose:
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is emerging as a unique and potent intervention, particularly within neurology and psychiatry. The clinical value of VNS continues to grow, while the development of noninvasive options promises to change a landscape that is already quickly evolving. In this review, we highlight recent progress in the field and offer readers a glimpse of the future for this bright and promising modality.
Methods:
We compiled a narrative review of VNS literature using PubMed and organized the discussion by disease states with approved indications (epilepsy, depression, obesity, post-stroke motor rehabilitation, headache), followed by a section highlighting novel, exploratory areas of VNS research. In each section, we summarized the current role, recent advancements, and future directions of VNS in the treatment of each disease.
Results:
The field continues to gain appreciation for the clinical potential of this modality. VNS was initially developed for treatment-resistant epilepsy, with the first depression studies following shortly thereafter. Overall, VNS has gained approval or clearance in the treatment of medication-refractory epilepsy, treatment-resistant depression, obesity, migraine/cluster headache, and post-stroke motor rehabilitation.
Conclusion:
Noninvasive VNS represents an opportunity to bridge the translational gap between preclinical and clinical paradigms and may offer the same therapeutic potential as invasive VNS. Further investigation into how VNS parameters modulate behavior and biology, as well as how to translate noninvasive options into the clinical arena, are crucial next steps for researchers and clinicians studying VNS.
Keywords: Brain stimulation; Neuromodulation; VNS; Vagus nerve; Vagus nerve stimulation.
PMID: 39363044 DOI: 10.1007/s10286-024-01065-w
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