Vagal Nerve Stimulation

How does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Work?

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an palliative treatment (relieves symptoms, but doesn’t treat the cause) for certain types of epilepsy and major depression. VNS uses an implanted stimulator to deliver electric impulses to an electrode on the vagal nerve in the neck via a lead wire implanted under the skin. These impulses modulate the brain’s circuitry. The generator is a pacemaker, similar to ones used in deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s disease, with subdermal (under the skin) leads connecting to the vagus nerve.

Since a vagal nerve stimulator activates a nerve to the brain, and not the brain itself, this is a less invasive procedure than deep brain stimulation (DBS) which requires open surgery to drill holes into the skull and to place an electrode deep inside the brain.