Animal models for vagus nerve stimulation in epilepsy

Marlien Aalbers*, Johan Vles, Sylvia Klinkenberg, Govert Hoogland, Marian Majoie, Kim Rijkers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a moderately effective adjunctive treatment for patients suffering from medically refractory epilepsy and is explored as a treatment option for several other disorders. The present review provides a critical appraisal of the studies on VNS in animal models of seizures and epilepsy. So far, these studies mostly applied short-term VNS in seizure models, demonstrating that VNS can suppress and prevent seizures and affect epileptogenesis. However, the mechanism of action is still largely unknown. Moreover, studies with a clinically more relevant setup where VNS is chronically applied in epilepsy models are scarce. Future directions for research and the application of this technology in animal models of epilepsy are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)167-175
JournalExperimental Neurology
Volume230
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2011

Keywords

  • Vagus nerve stimulation
  • Neuromodulation
  • Epilepsy
  • Seizures
  • Animal model

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