Wang Zhiyan, Yuan Xing, Zhang Qian, Wen Jialun, Cheng Tungyang, Qin Xiaoya, Ji Taoyun, Shu Xiaomei, Jiang Yuwu, Liao Jianxiang, Hao Hongwei, Li Luming, Wu Ye
National Engineering Laboratory for Neuromodulation, School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.
Front Pediatr. 2022 Mar 2;10:846301. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.846301. eCollection 2022.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a safe and effective therapy for pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). However, in children with DRE, the effects of VNS on autistic behaviors remain controversial. We retrospectively collected data from 10 children with DRE who underwent VNS implantation and regular parameter regulation in three pediatric epilepsy centers, and completed the behavioral assessments, including the autistic behavior checklist and the child behavior checklist, at follow-ups 1 (mean 2.16 years) and 2 (mean 2.98 years). The 10 children maintained stable seizure control between the two follow-ups. Their autistic behaviors, especially in language, social and self-help, were reduced at follow-up 2 compared to follow-up 1 ( = 0.01, = 0.01, respectively). Moreover, these improvements were not associated with their seizure control, whether it was positive or negative. These results suggested that the VNS had a positive effect on autistic behaviors, which provided a preliminary clinical basis that VNS may benefit to younger children with DRE comorbidity autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
迷走神经刺激（VNS）是治疗耐药性癫痫（DRE）儿科患者的一种安全有效的疗法。然而，对于患有DRE的儿童，VNS对自闭症行为的影响仍存在争议。我们回顾性收集了在三个儿科癫痫中心接受VNS植入和定期参数调整的10例DRE儿童的数据，并在随访1（平均2.16年）和随访2（平均2.98年）时完成了行为评估，包括自闭症行为检查表和儿童行为检查表。这10名儿童在两次随访之间保持了稳定的癫痫控制。与随访1相比，他们的自闭症行为，尤其是在语言、社交和自理方面，在随访2时有所减少（分别为 = 0.01， = 0.01）。此外，这些改善与他们的癫痫控制情况无关，无论癫痫控制是阳性还是阴性。这些结果表明，VNS对自闭症行为有积极影响，这为VNS可能有益于合并自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的DRE幼儿提供了初步的临床依据。
