Vagus nerve stimulation for primary headache disorders: An anatomical review to explain a clinical phenomenon

Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache
Dylan Jozef Hendrik Augustinus HenssenKris Vissers

Abstract

Non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve has been proposed as a new neuromodulation therapy to treat primary headache disorders, as the vagus nerve is hypothesized to modulate the headache pain pathways in the brain. Vagus nerve stimulation can be performed by placing an electrode on the ear to stimulate the tragus nerve, which contains about 1% of the vagus fibers. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) conventionally refers to stimulation of the cervical branch of the vagus nerve, which is made up entirely of vagal nerve fibers. While used interchangeably, most of the research to date has been performed with nVNS or an implanted vagus nerve stimulation device. However, the exact mechanism of action of nVNS remains hypothetical and no clear overview of the effectiveness of nVNS in primary headache disorders is available. In the present study, the clinical trials that investigated the effectiveness, tolerability and safety of nVNS in primary headache disorders were systematically reviewed. The second part of this study reviewed the central connections of the vagus nerve. Papers on the clinical use of nVNS and the anatomical investigations were included based on predefined criteria, evaluated, and results were reported i...Continue Reading

Associated Clinical Trials

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Citations

Jan 1, 2020·Headache·Alan M Rapoport, Peter McAllister
Jul 29, 2020·Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache·Stephen D SilbersteinHans-Christoph Diener
Aug 6, 2020·Neurology·David Moreno-AjonaJan Hoffmann
Apr 16, 2019·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Navzer D EngineerSeth A Hays
Sep 3, 2020·Pathogens·Pengxu WeiYubo Fan
Mar 3, 2020·Frontiers in Neurology·Michael J O Boedts
Dec 17, 2020·Current Pain and Headache Reports·Benzion Blech, Amaal J Starling
Dec 23, 2020·Neuromodulation : Journal of the International Neuromodulation Society·Yu WangPeijing Rong
Nov 25, 2020·Otology & Neurotology : Official Publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology·Shin C Beh
Jan 3, 2021·Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery : Official Journal of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons·Xiaosong WangGuoqiang Chen
Jun 24, 2021·Drugs & Aging·Augusto Pietro CasaniSilvia Capobianco

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
dissections
imaging techniques
light imaging microscopy

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