A review of clinical applications of vagus nerve stimulation

The vagus nerve is the longest of the cranial nerves, innervating the organs of the neck, chest, and abdomen, and reaching the colon. Its source in the central nervous system is the medulla oblongata. The obscure nucleus supplies fibers to the vagus nerve as well as to two other cranial nerves, the glossopharyngeal (IX cranial) and the accessory (XI cranial). The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve generates the visceromotor efferent component of the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become an established treatment for intractable epilepsy over the past ۲۰ years. The vagus nerve provides a unique input to the brain. Electrical stimulation of this structure in the cervical spine provides direct modulatory access to subcortical brain regions, requiring only minimally invasive, low-risk surgery. VNS therapy has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures in patients who do not respond to antiepileptic drugs. The effects are accompanied by atypical central side effects. Following the success of VNS therapy for epilepsy, the technology has been used for a wide range of disorders, from major depressive disorder to Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this review was to examine the clinical use of vagus nerve stimulation using the PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases from ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۲۳.

کلیدواژه ها:

Phrenic nerve ، Nerve stimulation ، Alzheimer's disease