Vagus nerve neurostimulation is a non-invasive procedure that uses electrical impulses to stimulate the vagus nerve.
Vagus nerve neurostimulation in Paris
Vagus nerve neurostimulation
The vagus nerve
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It extends from the brainstem to the colon. Its functions include:
sensory :
providing information on somatic sensations for the skin behind the ear, the external part of the ear canal, and parts of the throat;
providing information on visceral sensations for the larynx, esophagus, lungs, trachea, heart, and most of the digestive tract;
playing a minor role in taste sensation near the base of the tongue
motor :
It stimulates the muscles of the pharynx, larynx, and palate, which is the fleshy area near the back of the roof of the mouth;
it stimulates the heart muscles, where it helps lower the resting heart rate; and
it stimulates involuntary contractions in the digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and most of the intestines, allowing food to move through the digestive tract.
Why stimulate the vagus nerve ?
- The vagus nerve prevents inflammation. A certain amount of inflammation after an injury or illness is normal. But an overabundance is linked to many diseases and conditions, from sepsis to rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease. When the vagus nerve receives a signal of incipient inflammation, it alerts the brain and attracts anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters that regulate the body’s immune response.
- The vagus nerve helps you create memories. A University of Virginia study on rats showed that stimulating their vagus nerves strengthened their memory. The action released the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the amygdala, which consolidated the memories. Related studies have been conducted in humans, suggesting promising treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s.
- The vagus nerve helps you breathe. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine, triggered by the vagus nerve, tells your lungs to breathe. You can also stimulate your vagus nerve by doing abdominal breathing or holding your breath while counting to four or eight.
- The vagus nerve controls your heart rate. The vagus nerve is responsible for controlling heart rate via electrical impulses to specialized muscle tissue – the natural pacemaker – in the right atrium, where the release of acetylcholine slows the pulse.
- The vagus nerve initiates relaxation after stress. When your sympathetic nervous system speeds up the fight-or-flight response—by releasing the stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline into your body—the vagus nerve tells your body to relax by releasing acetylcholine. The vagus nerve branches out to many organs, acting like fiber optic cables that send instructions to release enzymes and proteins like prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin, which calm you down. People with a stronger vagal response may be more likely to recover more quickly after stress, injury, or illness.
- The vagus nerve allows your gut to « talk » to your brain.Your gut uses the vagus nerve like a walkie-talkie to tell your brain what you’re feeling.
- Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve reduces inflammation and could stop it completely. Neurosurgeon Kevin Tracey was the first to demonstrate that vagus nerve stimulation can significantly reduce inflammation. The results in rats were so successful that he replicated the experiment in humans with astonishing results. Vagus nerve stimulation showed a drastic reduction in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.
- Vagus nerve stimulation has created a new field of medicine. A rapidly growing field of medical study known as bioelectronics could be the future of medicine. By using implants that deliver electrical impulses to various parts of the body, including the vagus nerve, scientists and doctors hope to treat illnesses with fewer drugs and fewer side effects. Studies have shown the potential of vagus nerve stimulation for autism spectrum disorders, respiratory problems, heart conditions, psychiatric disorders, rehabilitation, migraines, tinnitus, and more.
Some studies concerning electrostimulation of the vagus nerve
- Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A Promising Method for Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2017
- The Use of Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Treat Respiratory Symptoms Associated With COVID-19: A Theoretical Hypothesis and Early Clinical Experience. Neuromodulation. 2020
- A comparison of the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and caffeine on vigilance and cognitive performance during extended wakefulness, Brain Stimulation, 2014
- Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2018
- Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation for upper limb motor function after ischaemic stroke (VNS-REHAB): a randomised, blinded, pivotal, device trial, The Lancet, 2021
- Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial (cMPsE02), Brain Stimulation, 2016
- Safety and tolerability of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve stimulation in humans; a systematic review, Brain Stimulation, 2018
- Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in healthy humans reduces sympathetic nerve activity, Brain Stimulation, 2014
- Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Default Mode Network in Major Depressive Disorder, Biological Psychiatry, 2016
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation improves gastroenteric complaints in Parkinson’s disease patients, Neurorehabilitation, 2019
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for migraine: an fMRI study, Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, 2021
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