title: Cerebral blood flow during vagus nerve stimulation--a transcranial Doppler study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an approved treatment of partial onset seizures and has recently shown antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression. This study was conducted to investigate whether acute VNS has an influence on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  This investigation was designed as an add-on study. In 10 patients with an implanted stimulator who participated in a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of VNS in depression, CBF was investigated by functional transcranial Doppler at baseline (before the stimulator was turned on for the first time) and during stimulation with three different stimulation intensities in a randomized order.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immediately after every increase of the current, CBF velocity showed a nonsignificant increase. Otherwise, no change of CBF above standard deviation could be registered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute VNS does not have an influence on CBF velocity in depressive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Eschenallee 1, DE-14050 Berlin, Germany. peter.neu@charite.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neu
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heuser
authors.forename: Malek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bajbouj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001776:Blood Circulation Time / Q000379:methods; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000528:radiation effects*