Mechanism and Applications of Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Author: Zhen Chen1, Kezhou Liu1
Affiliation:
1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Automation (Artificial Intelligence), Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Conference/Journal: Curr Issues Mol Biol
Date published: 2025 Feb 14
Other:
Volume ID: 47 , Issue ID: 2 , Pages: 122 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/cimb47020122. , Word Count: 152
Over the past three decades, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a promising rehabilitation therapy for a diverse range of conditions, demonstrating substantial clinical potential. This review summarizes the in vivo biological mechanisms activated by VNS and their corresponding clinical applications. Furthermore, it outlines the selection of parameters and equipment for VNS implementation. VNS exhibits anti-inflammatory effects, modulates neurotransmitter release, enhances neural plasticity, inhibits apoptosis and autophagy, maintains blood-brain barrier integrity, and promotes angiogenesis. Clinically, VNS has been utilized in the treatment of epilepsy, depression, headache, stroke, and obesity. Its potential applications extend to anti-inflammatory treatment and the management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and various brain disorders. However, further experiments are required to definitively establish the efficacy of VNS's various mechanisms. Additionally, there is a need to explore and identify optimal rehabilitation treatment parameters for different diseases.
Keywords: clinical applications; mechanism; neuromodulation; vagus nerve stimulation.
PMID: 39996843 PMCID: PMC11854789 DOI: 10.3390/cimb47020122
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