Key result
Vagus nerve stimulation, utilizing both invasive and non-invasive approaches, serves as an effective adjunctive treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression.
Why the study?
Applications of vagus nerve stimulation have expanded beyond epilepsy and depression to conditions such as inflammatory diseases and cognitive dysfunctions, with growing interest in non-invasive methods.
This review highlights the expanding clinical applications of both invasive and non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation beyond epilepsy and depression to include inflammatory and cognitive disorders.
VNS expansion to inflammation and cognition merits exploration; leaves open confirmatory RCTs before any practice change.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been approved as an adjunctive treatment for epilepsy and depression. As the progress of VNS treatment for these neuropsychiatric disorders continues, its applications have expanded to a wide range of conditions, including inflammatory diseases to cognitive dysfunctions. The branches of the vagal nerves directly or indirectly innervate the anatomical structures implicated in these neuropsychiatric conditions, which has led to promising results regarding the effectiveness of VNS. Previous studies investigating the effectiveness of VNS have mostly utilized invasive forms of stimulation. However, current preclinical and clinical research indicates that non-invasive forms of VNS, such as transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, hold the promise for treating various neuropsychiatric conditions. This review aims to delve into relevant clinical studies of VNS in various illness states, different methods of VNS, and the potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects in these neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Jung et al. (2023) conducted a review in Neuropsychiatric disorders (epilepsy, depression, inflammatory diseases, cognitive disorders). Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was evaluated. Vagus nerve stimulation, utilizing both invasive and non-invasive approaches, serves as an effective adjunctive treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression.
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