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Review
. 2024 Jul 24:20:1445-1451.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S465249. eCollection 2024.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improvement of Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Ridengnaxi E  1 , Yan Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improvement of Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Ridengnaxi E et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is acknowledged as a highly effective therapy for various neurological conditions, including refractory epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer's disease (AD), migraine, and stroke. Presently, there is an increasing focus on understanding the impact of VNS on cognitive aspects. Numerous studies suggest that VNS suppresses the body's inflammatory response, leading to enhanced cognitive function in patients. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a severe cognitive dysfunction syndrome resulting from prolonged chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH), where the primary pathogenesis is CCH-induced neuroinflammation. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the research advancements in using VNS for treating VCI and discuss that VNS improves cognitive function in VCI patients by suppressing neuroinflammation, offering insights into a potential novel approach for addressing this condition.

Keywords: cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway; chronic cerebral hypoperfusion; cognition; neuroinflammation; vagus nerve stimulation; vascular cognitive impairment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of vagus nerve afferent fibers. Thalamus; Amygdala; Hippocampus; Cerebral cortex; locus coeruleus (LC); Nodoid ganglion; Jugular ganglion; Pharynx, Larynx, Esophagus, Trachea and various organs in the chest and abdomen; Meninges; Auricular branch of the vagus nerve; nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS); spinal trigeminal nucleus (STN). Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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