ABSTRACT
The development of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for the treatment of epilepsy has demonstrated well the translation of concepts gained through laboratory research into a clinical therapy. Information gained from clinical research has, in turn, generated important basic research questions resulting in new directions for laboratory studies. In clinical practice, trains of current are applied intermittently to the left vagus nerve using a pacemakerlike device (the Neurocybernetic Prosthesis, Cyberonics, Houston, TX). Randomized, double-blind controlled trials have established its efficacy for partial-onset seizures in human epilepsy, and open-label studies have suggested good efficacy for other seizure types. As will be discussed, laboratory studies have also suggested that modulation of the vagal system may be a therapeutic modality for other neurobiologic disorders, including depression, pain, and memory loss.
