Article
Clinical Neurology
Charles F. Yates, Kate Riney, Stephen Malone, Ubaid Shah, Liam G. Coulthard, Robert Campbell, Geoff Wallace, Martin Wood
Summary: A study evaluated the outcomes and complications of VNS therapy in a large pediatric cohort in Queensland over a 20-year period, finding that a majority of patients benefited significantly from VNS therapy over extended treatment periods. Most patients retained VNS therapy long-term, with cessation mainly related to minimal benefit, and patient demographics did not influence outcomes.
ACTA NEUROCHIRURGICA
(2022)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Marta Nowakowska, Muammer uecal, Marios Charalambous, Sofie F. M. Bhatti, Timothy Denison, Sebastian Meller, Gregory A. Worrell, Heidrun Potschka, Holger A. Volk
Summary: Neurostimulation methods have shown promising results in controlling seizures and improving the quality of life for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. This comprehensive review focuses on the available neurostimulation methods for managing seizures in dogs, with highlights on recent progress in non-invasive modalities.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Yulin Sun, Jian Chen, Tie Fang, Lin Wan, Xiuyu Shi, Jing Wang, Zhichao Li, Jiaxin Wang, Zhiqiang Cui, Xin Xu, Zhipei Ling, Liping Zou, Guang Yang
Summary: VNS has shown to be effective in reducing seizure frequency and severity in patients with refractory PEE. The effective rates at 3, 6, and 12 months post-operation were 30%, 45%, and 70% respectively, demonstrating promising outcomes for VNS in patients with refractory PEE.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yasushi Iimura, Hiroharu Suzuki, Takumi Mitsuhashi, Tetsuya Ueda, Kazuki Nishioka, Kou Horikoshi, Kazuki Nomura, Hidenori Sugano, Akihide Kondo
Summary: This study retrospectively reviewed 136 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent VNS implantation, and found that approximately 56% of patients showed at least a 50% reduction in seizure frequency after VNS implantation. The study results suggest that generalized seizure is the most responsive to VNS, and that VNS may reduce the risk of recurrence of status epilepticus.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Katie L. Bullinger, Abdulrahman Alwaki, Robert E. Gross
Summary: The surgical treatments for drug-resistant generalized epilepsy include VNS, DBS, and CC. Neurostimulation with VNS and/or DBS has been found effective in reducing seizure frequency in patients. DBS primarily targets the centromedian (CM) nucleus in the thalamus, but closed-loop stimulation and other targets are also being explored. CC can be performed using traditional surgical techniques or less invasive methods such as laser ablation and radiosurgery.
CURRENT NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mesha-Gay Brown, Stefan Sillau, Danielle McDermott, Lia D. Ernst, David C. Spencer, Dario J. Englot, Hernan F. J. Gonzalez, Proleta Datta, Ioannis Karakis, Danielle Becker, John D. Rolston, Amir Arain, Vikram R. Rao, Michael Doherty, Alexandra Urban, Cornelia Drees
Summary: The concurrent treatment with VNS and RNS is safe and adding RNS can further reduce seizure frequency for adults with drug-resistant focal-onset seizures.
EPILEPSY & BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Steven Zhou, Nasir Hussain, Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Racha Boulos, Mohammed Hakim, Mayank Gupta, Tristan Weaver
Summary: Headaches are a common medical complaint worldwide, with peripheral nerve stimulation emerging as a novel treatment for intractable headaches. While evidence supports its use, efficacy is limited to specific nerves and headache types, requiring further research for mainstream adoption.
Review
Neurosciences
Natalia Yakunina, Eui-Cheol Nam
Summary: Recent animal research has shown that VNS paired with sound stimuli can eliminate tinnitus in noise-exposed rats, which led to clinical trials exploring the effectiveness of VNS for alleviating tinnitus in humans. Transcutaneous VNS has gained attention as a non-invasive alternative for tinnitus treatment, with studies also investigating its potential efficacy when used alone without sound stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ming Shan, Hongliang Mao, Hutao Xie, Yifei Gan, Delong Wu, Jian Song, Yutong Bai, Jianguo Zhang
Summary: This study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of VNS in 45 patients with drug resistant epilepsy and explored potential prognostic factors. The results showed a significant decrease in seizure frequency after VNS treatment. No significant prognostic factors were identified in this study.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yaroslav Winter, Katharina Sandner, Martin Glaser, Dumitru Ciolac, Viktoria Sauer, Andreas Ziebart, Ali Karakoyun, Vitalie Chiosa, Assel Saryyeva, Joachim Krauss, Florian Ringel, Sergiu Groppa
Summary: This study aimed to identify the synergistic effects between VNS and different ASMs. The results showed that the combination of VNS with SV2A modulators or slow sodium channel inhibitors was associated with a better seizure reduction compared to other mechanisms of action. These preliminary data require further validation under controlled conditions.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mengyi Guo, Jing Wang, Chongyang Tang, Jiahui Deng, Jing Zhang, Zhonghua Xiong, Siqi Liu, Yuguang Guan, Jian Zhou, Feng Zhai, Guoming Luan, Tianfu Li
Summary: VNS therapy is effective and well-tolerated in patients with refractory HIE-induced epilepsy, with better effectiveness observed in patients without neonatal seizures or with a predominant seizure type of generalized onset.
THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Huajun Yang, Weixiong Shi, Jingjing Fan, Xiaoshan Wang, Yijun Song, Yajun Lian, Wei Shan, Qun Wang
Summary: This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta-VNS) in patients with epilepsy. The patients were divided into an active stimulation group and a control group. The results showed that the responder rate and reduction in seizure frequency were significantly higher in the active group compared to the control group at 20 weeks of stimulation. No significant differences were observed in quality of life, mood, and cognitive state scores. The main adverse events were pain, sleep disturbance, flu-like symptoms, and local skin discomfort, which were similar between the two groups. Ta-VNS was found to be an effective and safe therapy for epilepsy, but further research is needed to validate its benefits in improving quality of life, mood, and cognitive state.
Article
Neurosciences
Henrique Jannuzzelli Pires do Prado, Lecio Figueira Pinto, Daniela Fontes Bezerra, Luciano de Paola, Francisco Arruda, Andrea Juliao de Oliveira, Tayla Taynan Romao, Vanessa Cristina Colares Lessa, Jonadab dos Santos Silva, Isabella D'Andrea-Meira
Summary: This retrospective study evaluated the use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as an adjuvant therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy. The study found that 65.6% of patients experienced a seizure reduction of at least 50% after VNS implantation, with most patients achieving a reduction of 50-90% and 9 patients becoming seizure-free. Factors associated with a better response to VNS included no history of neurosurgery, focal interictal epileptiform activity, and a focal seizure pattern. Tumors were predictive of a better response, while vascular malformations and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome were associated with a worse response.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Anna A. Feygina, Yana N. Koshelyaevskaya, Maxine Dibue, Kira V. Voronkova, Mikhail N. Klochkov, Nadezhda Y. Koroleva, Stanislav S. Ivanov, Ekaterina S. Bolshakova, Elza F. Fatykhova
Summary: This study conducted in Russia is the first multicenter evaluation of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of VNS Therapy in decreasing seizure frequency and severity in the majority of patients.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Hrishikesh Suresh, Karim Mithani, Karanbir Brar, Han Yan, Samuel Strantzas, Mike Vandenberk, Roy Sharma, Ivanna Yau, Christina Go, Elizabeth Pang, Elizabeth Kerr, Ayako Ochi, Hiroshi Otsubo, Puneet Jain, Elizabeth Donner, O. Carter Snead, George M. Ibrahim
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed the intraoperative data of 7 children who received vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment and found a strong negative correlation between SSEP amplitude and seizure reduction, revealing the mechanism of VNS and the importance of brainstem afferent circuitry within the Vagus Afferent Network (VagAN) for seizure responsiveness following VNS.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Serena M. Dudek, Georgia M. Alexander, Shannon Farris
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Georgia M. Alexander, Shannon Farris, Jason R. Pirone, Chenguang Zheng, Laura L. Colgin, Serena M. Dudek
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2016)
Article
Cell Biology
Natale R. Sciolino, Nicholas W. Plummer, Yu-Wei Chen, Georgia M. Alexander, Sabrina D. Robertson, Serena M. Dudek, Zoe A. McElligott, Patricia Jensen
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Georgia M. Alexander, Yang Zhong Huang, Erik J. Soderblom, Xiao-Ping He, M. Arthur Moseley, James O. McNamara
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2017)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhenglin Gu, Georgia M. Alexander, Serena M. Dudek, Jerrel L. Yakel
Article
Neurosciences
Georgia M. Alexander, Sarah C. Rogan, Atheir I. Abbas, Blaine N. Armbruster, Ying Pei, John A. Allen, Randal J. Nonneman, John Hartmann, Sheryl S. Moy, Miguel A. Nicolelis, James O. McNamara, Bryan L. Roth
Article
Neurosciences
G. M. Alexander, J. D. Graef, J. A. Hammarback, B. K. Nordskog, E. J. Burnett, J. B. Daunais, A. J. Bennett, D. P. Friedman, S. J. Suomi, D. W. Godwin
Article
Biology
Georgia M. Alexander, Logan Y. Brown, Shannon Farris, Daniel Lustberg, Caroline Pantazis, Bernd Gloss, Nicholas W. Plummer, Patricia Jensen, Serena M. Dudek
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Georgia M. Alexander, Natallia Riddick, Katharine E. McCann, Daniel Lustberg, Sheryl S. Moy, Serena M. Dudek
NEUROBIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY
(2019)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Serena M. Dudek, Georgia M. Alexander, Shannon Farris
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Kelly E. Carstens, Daniel J. Lustberg, Emma K. Shaughnessy, Katharine E. McCann, Georgia M. Alexander, Serena M. Dudek
Summary: The study reveals that Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are abnormal in the brains of individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT) and RTT mouse models, leading to compromised plasticity in the CA2 region of the hippocampus. Degradation of PNNs in Mecp2-null mice rescues the premature disruption of plasticity in CA2 synapses.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
G. M. Alexander, D. W. Godwin
Article
Neurosciences
GM Alexander, TL Fisher, DW Godwin
Review
Clinical Neurology
Georgia M. Alexander, Dwayne W. Godwin