Chapter 127 - Bioelectronic Therapy for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cause significant morbidity and mortality despite significant advances in treatment. A large body of preclinical work has shown that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can activate an important neural-immune mechanism, termed the “inflammatory reflex,” which regulates innate and adaptive immunity. Here we present the first clinical evidence of ameliorating IBD and RA with a bioelectronic therapy using VNS as well as describe the development of application-specific neuromodulation device for future studies.