Research Update: Using Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Rheumatic Disease

Dr. Kameneva

Further guidance on individualizing VNS treatment may come from a more detailed understanding of changes in brain activity caused by stimulation of the vagus nerve. A study by investigators from Australia reported on the simultaneous use of magnetoencephalography with tVNS to gain insight into regions of the brain most influenced by stimulating the vagus nerve.⁴ “We have shown that varying the stimulation frequency can lead to a difference in brain response, with the brain also responding in different anatomical regions depending on the frequency,” says senior author of the study, Tatiana Kameneva, PhD, senior lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia.

“This may lead to the development of customized therapeutic approaches for the targeted treatment of different conditions, possibly to rheumatologic diseases.”

Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical journalist based in Minneapolis.

References

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