Researchers at the Bionics Institute have published a paper in the journal Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface demonstrating that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) at abdominal level activates the brain and shows promise as a therapy for a range of neurological conditions, including mental health disorders, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.
Dr Tomoko Hyakumura, who led the research, says that stimulation of the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the gut and controls many functions in the body, is a clinically available treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy and depression.
Dr Hyakumura says: “Studies show that activation of a part of the brain called the locus coeruleus is essential for the therapeutic effect of VNS for neurological conditions.
“However, currently VNS is applied at neck level which cause side effects on the heart and lungs, which means that stimulation intensity needs to be reduced with evidence suggesting that this could reduce efficacy of the treatment.”
In response to this, the Bionics Institute has developed a groundbreaking vagus nerve stimulation device that is implanted at abdominal level, and the paper demonstrates that use of our abdominal VNS device in animal studies activates a central brain region called the locus coeruleus, to deliver sufficient therapy without causing side effects to the heart and lungs.
Dr Hyakumura says: “This research shows that abdominal VNS could provide an effective therapy for brain disorders such as drug-resistant epilepsy and depression.
“Our next step is to show efficacy of this device for treatment of these disorders, with the aim of moving towards a clinical trial.”
Dr Hyakumura’s research is conducted within the Bionics Institute’s Vagus Nerve Stimulation Centre of Excellence, led by A/Prof Sophie Payne. Researchers in A/Prof Payne’s team will be investigating the viability of abdominal vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for a wide range of conditions including gastrointestinal disorders, neurological disorders, mental health conditions, and even cancer.
A/Prof Sophie Payne says the VNS device under investigation for epilepsy, is currently in clinical trial for Crohn’s disease and soon to enter clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis.
“We have a shortlist of over 20 conditions that could potentially be treated using abdominal vagus nerve stimulation and we will be undertaking research as soon as the necessary funding is secured.”
Read the paper here.
To find out more, about the VNS Centre of Excellence, watch this short video:
