Investigating the feasibility of abdominal VNS to treat Parkinson’s disease
Why is a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease needed?
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are primarily caused by a progressive loss of neurons (neurodegeneration) from key areas in the brain called the substantia nigra and the locus coeruleus (LC).
Many current therapies for people with Parkinson’s disease target the symptoms rather than the cause (neurodegeneration), and do not stop the disease from getting worse, and/or often have intolerable side effects.
Studies indicate that VNS could provide disease-modifying therapy by improving neuron survival in key areas of the brain i.e. the LC and substantia nigra [1, 2].
Stimulation of the vagus nerve increases the release of important brain chemicals from the LC to protect neurons from degeneration by reducing toxic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Research at the Bionics Institute
Abdominal vagus nerve stimulation device developed by the Bionics Institute can be implanted on the vagus nerve and uses electrical stimulation to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.
Vagus nerve stimulation applied at neck level is an approved treatment for neurological disorders such as drug-resistant epilepsy. However, stimulation of the vagus nerve at neck level has unpleasant, sometimes serious side effects on heart rate and breathing.
To overcome this limitation, Bionics Institute researchers have developed a device that stimulates the vagus nerve at the abdominal level, below the diaphragm, without side effects on the heart and lungs. This technology is called abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation (aVNS), and the device is made up of an electrode array implanted on the abdominal vagus nerve via surgery that stimulates and records nerve activity.
Recently, our researchers at the Bionics Institute have published data showing that the brain is activated during aVNS. Not only this, but abdominal VNS activates the brain more safely than when VNS is applied at the neck level [3].
Led by neuroscientist and vagus nerve stimulation expert, she will conduct research into the efficacy of abdominal VNS in experimental models of Parkinson’s disease. The translation and commercialisation of aVNS for the treatment of PD will be overseen by Associate Professor Sophie Payne
Next steps for Bionics Institute researchers
Our next step is to generate proof-of-concept efficacy data showing aVNS alleviates symptoms in animal models to allow for the rapid translation of the human grade aVNS System into the clinic for a first-in-indication trial.
The research team
BI researchers:
Associate Professor Sophie Payne
Clinical collaborators:
Dr. Katya Kotschet
Key publications
Hyakumura, T., Payne, S. C., Matarazzo, J. V., Adams, W. K., & Fallon, J. B. (2025). Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation Increases Firing in the Rat Locus Coeruleus. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface.
Hyakumura, T., Fallon, J. B., & Payne, S. C. (2024). Implantation surgery for abdominal vagus nerve stimulation and recording studies in awake rats. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), (203), e65896.
References
1. Hosomoto, K., et al., Continuous vagus nerve stimulation exerts beneficial effects on rats with experimentally induced Parkinson’s disease: Evidence suggesting involvement of a vagal afferent pathway. Brain Stimulation, 2023. 16(2): p. 594-603.
2. Farrand, Ariana Q., et al. “Vagus nerve stimulation improves locomotion and neuronal populations in a model of Parkinson’s disease.” Brain stimulation 10.6 (2017): 1045-1054.
3. Hyakumura, Tomoko, et al. “Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation Increases Firing in the Rat Locus Coeruleus.” Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface (2025).
