Mechanism of vagus nerve stimulation for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy
REN Nan-xiao
ZHANG Rui
Abstract：The International League Against Epilepsy defines epilepsy that cannot be fully controlled after the application of two or more antiepileptic drugs through reasonable and adequate monotherapy or combination therapy as drug-resistant epilepsy(DRE).Vagus nerve stimulation(VNS),as a palliative surgical treatment for DRE,has had its therapeutic effect verified by numerous clinical studies.Nevertheless,the conduction pathway of the vagus nerve is rather complex.Nerve impulses can be conducted to central structures such as the raphe nucleus,locus coeruleus,reticular formation,thalamus,and cerebral cortex,and also to peripheral locations such as the heart,trachea,lungs,stomach,and pharyngeal muscles,generating different outcomes.Hence,comprehending the mechanism of VNS in the treatment of DRE is of great significance.Currently,the research on the mechanism of VNS remains imperfect.This article conducts a review of the possible mechanisms of VNS in the treatment of DRE.
Keywords：Drug-resistant epilepsyVagus nerve stimulationMechanism
Publication Date：2025-02-25
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 106-109 )