Abstract
Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (tVNS) on the auricular branch of the vagus nerve has been receiving attention due to its therapeutic potential for neuropsychiatric disorders. Although the mechanism of tVNS is not yet completely understood, studies have demonstrated the potential role of vagal afferent nerve stimulation in the regulation of mood and visceral state associated with social communication. In addition, a growing body of evidence shows that tVNS can activate the brain regions associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), trigger neuroimmune modulation and produce treatment effects for comorbid disorders of ASD such as epilepsy and depression. We thus hypothesize that tVNS may be a promising treatment for ASD, not only for comorbid epilepsy and depression, but also for the core symptoms of ASD. The goal of this manuscript is to summarize the findings and rationales for applying tVNS to treat ASD and propose potential parameters for tVNS treatment of ASD.
Highlights
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) refers to a group of lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behavior (McPartland et al, 2012)
Studies suggest that stimulation of the vagus nerve could downregulates inflammatory cytokine release (Lerman et al, 2016) (4) transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) could treat the comorbidities of ASD, such as epilepsy(Park, 2003) and depression (Fang et al, 2016; Rong et al, 2016)
The results showed that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy improved the quality of life of patients with either Landau–Kleffner syndrome or autism comorbid epilepsy, and the improvement in quality of life was independent of its effects on seizures (Park, 2003)
Summary
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) refers to a group of lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behavior (McPartland et al, 2012). Investigators found that VNS may have positive social-emotional effects independent of seizure control in patients with intractable epilepsy and ASD (Porges, 1997; Murphy et al, 2000; Levy et al, 2010; Hull et al, 2015).
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