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Noninvasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Opioid Use Disorder.
J Douglas Bremner1,2,3, Asim H Gazi4, Tamara P Lambert5
1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA.
Annals of Depression and Anxiety
|December 11, 2023
Summary
Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) offers a promising, non-medication treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This approach may reduce withdrawal symptoms and physiological effects by modulating neurobiology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Public Health
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) presents a significant public health crisis, marked by over 100,000 annual overdose deaths, with limited treatment alternatives.
- Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation (nVNS), applied via ear or neck, emerges as a potential non-pharmacological intervention for OUD and opioid withdrawal management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the neurobiological underpinnings of OUD and opioid withdrawal.
- To examine the emerging evidence for nVNS as a treatment modality for OUD.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE databases from 1982 to the present.
- Analysis of studies focusing on the neurobiology of opioid withdrawal, OUD, and nVNS applications.
Main Results:
- Opioid withdrawal involves sympathetic and inflammatory system activation, alongside changes in brain regions like the anterior cingulate, basal ganglia, and amygdala.
- nVNS demonstrates potential in pilot studies to mitigate sympathetic and inflammatory responses, thereby alleviating opioid withdrawal symptoms, pain, and distress.
Conclusions:
- nVNS shows significant promise as a non-medication strategy for OUD.
- Evidence suggests nVNS can positively impact OUD neurobiology and reduce withdrawal symptoms and associated physiological manifestations.
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