Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a unique epilepsy treatment in that a peripheral intervention is used to treat a disease that is entirely related to pathological events occurring within the brain. To understand how stimulation of the vagus nerve can be used to stop seizures, an understanding of the peripheral anatomy and physiology of the vagus nerve is essential. The peripheral aspects of the vagus nerve are discussed in this review, with an explanation of which fibers and branches are involved in producing these antiepileptic effects, along with speculation about the potential for improving the therapy.
Highlights
A series of experiments conducted by Zabara demonstrated that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) could be used to stop experimentally induced seizures in dogs.[35]
The surgery involves the placement of helical electrodes on the left cervical vagus nerve, with intermittent stimulation provided by a neurocybernetic prosthesis implanted subcutaneously in the upper chest
VNS is a unique epilepsy treatment in that a peripheral intervention is used to treat a disease that is entirely related to pathological events occurring within the brain
Summary
This article may be cited as: Krahl SE.Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy:A review of the peripheral mechanisms. Available FREE in open access from: http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com/text.asp?2012/3/2/47/91610
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