Mechanism of vagus nerve stimulation in treatment of disorders of consciousness and related advances in clinical research
10.19845/j.cnki.zfysjjbzz.2025.0192
- VernacularTitle:迷走神经电刺激治疗意识障碍的机制及临床研究进展
- Author:
Xinyi WANG
1
;
Yuhong KOU
2
;
Zan WANG
1
Author Information
1. 吉林大学第一医院神经内科， 吉林 长春 130021
2. 吉林市中心医院， 吉林 吉林 132011
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Vagus nerve stimulation;
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation;
Disorders of consciousness;
Neuromodulation
- From:
Journal of Apoplexy and Nervous Diseases
2025;42(11):1046-1052
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Disorders of consciousness（DoC） refer to the state of loss of consciousness caused by various severe brain injuries， and there is still a lack of widely recognized effective treatment methods for DoC at present. As a promising neuromodulation technique， vagus nerve stimulation（VNS） has shown significant potential in promoting the recovery of consciousness through various mechanisms such as the modulation of key neural network activities. This review systematically elaborates on the potential mechanism of VNS in the treatment of DoC and comprehensively evaluate the evidence for its clinical efficacy. At first， this article introduces the technical principles of VNS and the clinical classification of DoC， and then it delves into the mechanisms by which VNS promotes the recovery of consciousness， including modulation of neural networks， activation of the ascending reticular activating system， regulation of neurotransmitter balance， suppression of inflammatory responses， and enhancement of neuroplasticity.Finally， it systematically reviews existing clinical studies， including those on invasive VNS and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation （taVNS）， and discusses the limitations of current research and the directions for future development. This review shows that VNS， especially noninvasive taVNS， is expected to become a new therapeutic strategy for DoC， although large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to validate its clinical efficacy.
- Full text:2025122911211391646迷走神经电刺激治疗意识障碍的机制及临床研究进展.pdf
