My understanding is that vagus stimulation works by stimulating dopamine receptors in the vagus that down-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines. Stimulants also stimulate dopamine receptors (e.g., dexedrine), and I would expect it would have a potentially equally effective response, assuming the person has no contraindication to taking the drug. Would be interesting if someone did a study looking at the before and after, but patients I have seen reported decreased malaise while on the medication. Seems a cheaper and easier solution in many respects, assuming they work in similar ways.
Ada H Zohar · 38.91 · Ruppin Academic Center There is a wonderful psychiatrist/researcher using VNS for treatment resistant depression. He is one of the major people in the field of VNS research altogether. Why don’t you write him directly and see if he has any useful literature/advise? His name is Prof. Charles Conway, and his emaii address is cconway@wustl.edu
You can use my name as a reference when you write him, but I think he will be very friendly and responsive.
Ada
Ivo García-Soto · Hospital Felix Bulnes Cerda, Santiago, Chile Maybe you know by now, but if not, this may help you:
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/29/8284.abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation inhibits cytokine production and attenuates disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis.
That’s Kevin Tracey work in VNS, he had shown the effects on RA, and that’s just the beggining. This book may also enlight you about the future of electronics in biomedicine: http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319286105
I think there is a link between the work of Porges and VNS, but i haven’t seen him refering to it, maybe he prefers the more direct focus of creating a safe environment for the treatment of certain pathologies than the stimulation of the nerve by other means. Anyway his research and also techniques he helped in the development (RSA) may be helpful to evaluate clinically the effects of VNS, and because this is a new research field, HRV and RSA should be observed when VNS is applied.
Hope it helps!
How reliable is Vagus Nerve Stimulation for relief of inflammation, stress, and Arthritis? Where is this treatment available?. Available from:
[accessed May 12, 2017].