Central therapeutic effects of peripheral vagus nerve stimulation.
Despite the recent addition of more than ten new antiepileptic drugs on the market, epilepsy remains poorly controlled in almost 30% of patients. For this subgroup of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become a viable option. More recently, it has also shown promise in treatment-resistant depression. This article discusses VNS's history, current applications, and potential to treat chronic neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
Gross
Margaret
M
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
Goyal
Monisha
M
D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014630:Vagus Nerve