Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations-results from an initial case series.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Steyn E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3621410 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of acute asthma exacerbations-results from an initial case series.
Steyn Elmin E Mohamed Zunaid Z Husselman Carla C
International journal of emergency medicine 20130319 1
<h4>Unlabelled</h4>A prospective multicentre clinical study was initiated to evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) for the treatment of bronchoconstriction exacerbations in asthmatics. Due to slow enrolment and design changes of the device, the study was prematurely terminated after enrolment of four eligible patients. Three of the four patients were considered treatment successes based on improvement in FEV1, improvement in VAS dyspnoe ...[more]
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Project description:ContextThe use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to reduce or stop electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treatment-resistant depression seems promising. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of VNS on the reduction of ECT sessions and mood stabilization.MethodsWe conducted a monocentric retrospective case series of patients who suffered from treatment-resistant depression, treated with ECT and referred to our center for VNS. We investigated the number and the frequency of ECT sessions before and after VNS implantation. Secondary criteria consisted in the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score, number of medical treatments, dosage of the main treatment and length of hospital stays before and after VNS. Additionally, we sent an anonymous survey to psychiatrists and other physicians in our institution to investigate their knowledge and perception of VNS therapy to treat treatment-resistant depression.ResultsSeven patients benefited from VNS: six (86%) were female (mean age of 51.7 +/- 16.0 years at surgery), and five (71%) suffered from bipolar depression (three type I and two type II). All patients were followed up at least 2 years post-implantation (range: 27-68 months). Prior to VNS, six patients were treated by maintenance ECT. After VNS, three (43%) patients did not require maintenance ECT anymore, and three (43%) patients required less frequent ECT session with a mean 14.7 +/- 9.8 weeks between sessions after VNS vs. 2.9 +/- 0.8 weeks before VNS. At last follow-up, 4 (57%) patients had stopped ECT. Five (71%) patients implanted with VNS were good responders (50% decrease relative to baseline MADRS). According to the survey, psychiatrists had a significantly better perception and knowledge of ECT, but a worse perception and knowledge of VNS compared to other physicians.ConclusionVNS is a good option for treatment-resistant depression requiring maintenance ECT dependence. Larger on-going studies will help broaden the implanted patients while strengthening psychiatrists' knowledge on this therapy.
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Project description:Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is being used increasingly to treat a wide array of diseases and disorders. This growth is driven in part by the putative ability to stimulate the nerve non-invasively. Despite decades of use and a rapidly expanding application space, we lack a complete understanding of the acute effects of VNS on human cortical neurophysiology. Here, we investigated cortical responses to sub-perceptual threshold cervical implanted (iVNS) and transcutaneous auricular (taVNS) vagus nerve stimulation using intracranial neurophysiological recordings in human epilepsy patients. To understand the areas that are modulated by VNS and how they differ depending on invasiveness and stimulation parameters, we compared VNS-evoked neural activity across a range of stimulation modalities, frequencies, and amplitudes. Using comparable stimulation parameters, both iVNS and taVNS caused subtle changes in low-frequency power across broad cortical networks, which were not the same across modalities and were highly variable across participants. However, within at least some individuals, it may be possible to elicit similar responses across modalities using distinct sets of stimulation parameters. These results demonstrate that both invasive and non-invasive VNS cause evoked changes in activity across a set of highly distributed cortical networks that are relevant to a diverse array of clinical, rehabilitative, and enhancement applications.
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Project description:Purpose of reviewVagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for neurological and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in VNS for treating ischemic stroke. This review discusses the evidence supporting VNS as a treatment option for ischemic stroke and elucidates its underlying mechanisms.Recent findingsPreclinical studies investigating VNS in stroke models have shown reduced infarct volumes and improved neurological deficits. Additionally, VNS has been found to reduce reperfusion injury. VNS may promote neuroprotection by reducing inflammation, enhancing cerebral blood flow, and modulating the release of neurotransmitters. Additionally, VNS may stimulate neuroplasticity, thereby facilitating post-stroke recovery. The Food and Drug Administration has approved invasive VNS (iVNS) combined with rehabilitation for ischemic stroke patients with moderate to severe upper limb deficits. However, iVNS is not feasible in acute stroke due to its time-sensitive nature. Non-invasive VNS (nVNS) may be an alternative approach for treating ischemic stroke. While the evidence from preclinical studies and clinical trials of nVNS is promising, the mechanisms through which VNS exerts its beneficial effects on ischemic stroke are still being elucidated. Therefore, further research is needed to better understand the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of nVNS in ischemic stroke. Moreover, large-scale randomized clinical trials are necessary to determine the optimal nVNS protocols, assess its long-term effects on stroke recovery and outcomes, and identify the potential benefits of combining nVNS with other rehabilitation strategies.
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Project description: Not available
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Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the impact of non-invasive transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) paired with oral feeding on long-term neurodevelopmental and sensory outcomes.MethodWe tested 21 of 35 children who as infants were gastrostomy tube (G-tube) candidates and participated in the novel, open-label trial of taVNS paired with oral feeding. To evaluate possible effects on development at 18-months after infant taVNS, we performed the Bayley-III (n = 10) and Sensory Profile (SP-2, n = 12) assessments before the COVID pandemic, and Cognitive Adaptive Test (CAT), Clinical Linguistics and Auditory Milestone (CLAMS), Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 gross motor tests as possible during and after the pandemic. We compared outcomes for infants who attained full oral feeds during taVNS ('responders') or received G-tubes ('non-responders').ResultsAt a mean of 19-months, taVNS 'responders' showed significantly better general sensory processing on the SP-2 than 'non-responders'. There were no differences in other test scores, which were similar to published outcomes for infants who required G-tubes.ConclusionThis is the first report of neurodevelopmental follow-up in infants who received taVNS-paired feeding. They had similar developmental outcomes as historical control infants failing oral feeds who received G-tubes. Our data suggests that infants who attained full oral feeds had better sensory processing.
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Project description:Introduction: VNS is an adjunctive neuromodulation therapy for patients with drug-refractory epilepsy. The antiseizure effect of VNS is thought to be related to a diffuse modulation of functional connectivity but remains to be confirmed. Aim: To investigate electroencephalographic (EEG) metrics of functional connectivity in patients with drug-refractory epilepsy treated by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), between VNS-stimulated "ON" and nonstimulated "OFF" periods and between responder (R) and nonresponder (NR) patients. Methods: Scalp-EEG was performed for 35 patients treated by VNS, using 21 channels and 2 additional electrodes on the neck to detect the VNS stimulation. Patients were defined as VNS responders if a reduction of seizure frequency of ∼50% was documented. We analyzed the synchronization in EEG time series during "ON" and "OFF" periods of stimulation, using average phase lag index (PLI) in signal space and phase-locking value (PLV) between 10 sources. Based on graph theory, we computed brain network models and analyzed minimum spanning tree (MST) for responder and nonresponder patients. Results: Among 35 patients treated by VNS for a median time of 7 years (range 4 months to 22 years), 20 were R and 15 were NR. For responder patients, PLI during ON periods was significantly lower than that during OFF periods in delta (p = 0.009), theta (p = 0.02), and beta (p = 0.04) frequency bands. For nonresponder patients, there were no significant differences between ON and OFF periods. Moreover, variations of seizure frequency with VNS correlated with the PLI OFF/ON ratio in delta (p = 0.02), theta (p = 0.04), and beta (p = 0.03) frequency bands. Our results were confirmed using PLV in theta band (p < 0.05). No significant differences in MST were observed between R and NR patients. Conclusion: The correlation between VNS-induced interictal EEG time-series desynchronization and decrease in seizure frequency suggested that VNS therapeutic impact might be related to changes in interictal functional connectivity. Impact statement Electroencephalography (EEG) desynchronization has been proposed to be a mechanism for antiepileptic effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). We measured interictal EEG time-series synchronization during stimulated (ON) and nonstimulated (OFF) periods in epileptic patients treated by VNS. Phase lag index differences between ON and OFF periods were measured in delta, theta, and beta bands only in responder patients. To our knowledge, our study is the first to statistically correlate interictal cortical desynchronization during ON periods with reduction in seizure frequency. Our result supports the hypothesis that the antiseizure effect of VNS is mediated by cortical desynchronization.
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Project description:INTRODUCTION:Lafora body disease (LBD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progression to inexorable dementia and frequent occipital seizures, in addition to myoclonus and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCSs). It belongs to the group of progressive myoclonus epilepsies (PMEs), rare inherited neurodegenerative diseases with great clinical and genetic differences, as well as poor prognosis. Since those patients have a pharmacoresistant disease, an adjunctive treatment option is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). To date, there are four reported cases of the utility of VNS in PME - in Unverricht-Lundborg disease (ULD), myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), Gaucher's disease, and in one case that remained unclassified. CASE PRESENTATION:A 19-year-old male patient had progressive myoclonus, GTCSs that often progressed to status epilepticus (SE), progressive cerebellar and extrapyramidal symptomatology, and dementia, and his disease was pharmacoresistant. We confirmed the diagnosis of LBD by genetic testing. After VNS implantation, in the one-year follow-up period, there was a complete reduction of GTCS and SE, significant regression of myoclonus, and moderate regression of cerebellar symptomatology. CONCLUSION:To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the utility of VNS in LBD. Vagus nerve stimulation therapy may be considered a treatment option for different clinical entities of PME. Further studies with a larger number of patients are needed.
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