George M S, Sackeim H A, Rush A J, Marangell L B, Nahas Z, Husain M M, Lisanby S, Burt T, Goldman J, Ballenger J C
Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
Biol Psychiatry. 2000 Feb 15;47(4):287-95. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00308-x.
Biological psychiatry has a long history of using somatic therapies to treat neuropsychiatric illnesses and to understand brain function. These methods have included neurosurgery, electroconvulsive therapy, and, most recently, transcranial magnetic stimulation. Fourteen years ago researchers discovered that intermittent electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve produces inhibition of neural processes, which can alter brain electrical activity and terminate seizures in dogs. Since then, approximately 6000 people worldwide have received vagus nerve stimulation for treatment-resistant epilepsy. We review the neurobiology and anatomy of the vagus nerve and provide an overview of the vagus nerve stimulation technique. We also describe the safety and potential utility of vagus nerve stimulation as a neuroscience research tool and as a putative treatment for psychiatric conditions. Vagus nerve stimulation appears to be a promising new somatic intervention that may improve our understanding of brain function and has promise in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
生物精神病学长期以来一直使用躯体疗法来治疗神经精神疾病并了解大脑功能。这些方法包括神经外科手术、电休克疗法，以及最近的经颅磁刺激。十四年前，研究人员发现，间歇性电刺激迷走神经会抑制神经活动过程，这可以改变大脑的电活动并终止犬类的癫痫发作。从那时起，全球约有6000人接受了迷走神经刺激治疗难治性癫痫。我们回顾了迷走神经的神经生物学和解剖结构，并概述了迷走神经刺激技术。我们还描述了迷走神经刺激作为一种神经科学研究工具以及作为一种假定的精神疾病治疗方法的安全性和潜在效用。迷走神经刺激似乎是一种有前景的新型躯体干预措施，可能会增进我们对大脑功能的理解，并有望用于治疗神经精神疾病。
