Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Resting-State Network Changes Following Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Aphasia-A Randomized Controlled Study.
Although repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has exhibited promising efficacy in treating stroke-related aphasia, changes in neuroimaging in response to this therapy remain unclear. ⋯ The Clinicaltrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT03059225.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Two-Week Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Chronic Pancreatitis Patients Induces Functional Connectivity Changes of Limbic Structures.
Noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) has not only shown antinociceptive effects, but also demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects. These effects could be beneficial in chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients suffering from chronic abdominal pain, even though the underlying central mechanisms remain unclear. The aim was to investigate the effect of cervical nVNS in patients with painful CP on brain functional connectivity and cerebral metabolites. ⋯ In our population of CP patients, cervical nVNS compared with sham treatment induced reduced functional connectivity of limbic structures, as also observed in other patient groups. The findings are relevant, since we have previously demonstrated an effect on pain scores in CP patients for both nVNS and sham treatment. Our results elucidate the effects in the central nervous system following nVNS treatment of CP patients, pointing at potential beneficial effects in this patient group.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparative Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation vs Citalopram for Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Trial.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental illnesses. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) compared with the effectiveness of citalopram, a commonly used antidepressant, in patients with depression. ⋯ taVNS resulted in symptom improvement similar to that of citalopram; thus, taVNS should be considered as a therapeutic option in the multidisciplinary management of MDD. Nevertheless, owing to the design of this study, it cannot be ruled out that the reduction in depression severity in both treatment groups could be a placebo effect.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Neurologic Outcome After Cardiac Arrest in Mice by Attenuating Oxidative Stress and Excessive Autophagy.
Cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) induces oxidative stress and activates autophagy, leading to brain injury and neurologic deficits. Cervical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) increases cerebral blood flow (CBF). In this study, we investigate the effect of VNS-induced CBF increase on neurologic outcomes after cardiac arrest (CA). ⋯ Oxidative stress induced by global brain I/R following CA/ROSC leads to early excessive autophagy and impaired autophagic flux. VNS promoted CBF recovery, ameliorating these changes. Neurologic and histologic outcomes were also improved.
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The objective of this preclinical study was to examine the responses of the brain to noxious stimulation in the presence and absence of different modes of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) using blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI). ⋯ The high-resolution fMRI study using a rat model demonstrated the potential of different SCS modes to act on several pain-matrix-related regions of the brain in response to noxious stimulation. The burst and burst-cycle SCS exhibited greater brain activity reduction in response to noxious hindlimb stimulation in the caudate putamen, insula, and secondary somatosensory cortex compared to tonic stimulation.