Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression
Published on: January 7, 2019
Vagus nerve stimulation inhibits cortical spreading depression
Shih-Pin Chen1, Ilknur Ay, Andreia Lopes de Morais
1Neurovascular Research Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA ElectroCore LLC, Basking Ridge, NJ, USA Stroke Service and Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
Vagus nerve stimulation effectively inhibits cortical spreading depression, the event behind migraine aura. This finding explains how vagus nerve stimulation may treat migraines, offering a new therapeutic avenue.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Migraine aura is linked to cortical spreading depression (CSD).
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) shows promise for treating migraine symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if VNS inhibits CSD.
- To elucidate the mechanism behind VNS's antimigraine effects.
Main Methods:
- VNS was applied noninvasively (transcutaneous) and invasively (direct nerve stimulation) in rats.
- CSD susceptibility, threshold, frequency, and propagation speed were measured.
- Systemic physiology was monitored.
Main Results:
- Both noninvasive and invasive VNS significantly suppressed CSD susceptibility in the occipital cortex.
- CSD threshold increased over 2-fold; frequency decreased by ~40%; propagation speed reduced by ~15%.
- Effects appeared within 30 minutes and lasted over 3 hours, with no difference between hemispheres.
Conclusions:
- VNS inhibits CSD, providing a potential mechanism for its antimigraine efficacy.
- CSD susceptibility is a viable platform for optimizing VNS therapy for migraines.
