Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Aug;127:37-53. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.018. Epub 2021 Apr 21.
Brain diseases, including neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular and neuropsychiatric diseases, have posed a deleterious threat to human health and brought a great burden to society and the healthcare system. With the development of medical technology, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an alternative treatment for refractory epilepsy, refractory depression, cluster headaches, and migraines. Furthermore, current evidence showed promising results towards the treatment of more brain diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and stroke. Nonetheless, the biological mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of VNS in brain diseases remain only partially elucidated. This review aims to delve into the relevant preclinical and clinical studies and update the progress of VNS applications and its potential mechanisms underlying the biological effects in brain diseases.
脑部疾病，包括神经退行性疾病、脑血管疾病和神经精神疾病，对人类健康构成了严重威胁，给社会和医疗体系带来了巨大负担。随着医疗技术的发展，迷走神经刺激（Vagus nerve stimulation，VNS）已被美国食品和药物管理局（Food and Drug Administration，FDA）批准为治疗耐药性癫痫、耐药性抑郁症、丛集性头痛和偏头痛的替代疗法。此外，目前的证据表明，VNS 在治疗更多脑部疾病方面具有广阔的前景，如帕金森病（Parkinson's disease，PD）、自闭症谱系障碍（Autistic spectrum disorder，ASD）、创伤性脑损伤（Traumatic brain injury，TBI）和中风等。然而，VNS 对脑部疾病产生有益影响的生物学机制仍部分阐明。本综述旨在深入探讨相关的临床前和临床研究，并更新 VNS 应用及其在脑部疾病中生物学效应的潜在机制的研究进展。
