Brain Stimul
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Inter-ictal assay of peripheral circulating inflammatory mediators in migraine patients under adjunctive cervical non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS): A proof-of-concept study.
To assay peripheral inter-ictal cytokine serum levels and possible relations with non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) responsiveness in migraineurs. ⋯ 2 months of adjunctive cervical nVNS significantly declined the number of severe attacks/month. Pro-inflammatory IL-1β plasma levels [inter-ictal] were higher in sham-treated migraine patients compared to verum nVNS. However, pro- [IL-6, HMGB-1, TNF-α, leptin] and anti-inflammatory [IL-10, adiponectin, ghrelin] mediators did not differ statistically. Profiling of neuroinflammatory circuits in migraine to predict nVNS responsiveness remains an experimental approach, which may be biased by pre-analytic variables warranting large-scale biobank-based systematic investigations [omics].
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Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a new, non-invasive technique being investigated as an intervention for a variety of clinical disorders, including epilepsy and depression. It is thought to exert its therapeutic effect by increasing central norepinephrine (NE) activity, but the evidence supporting this notion is limited. ⋯ These findings suggest that tVNS modulates hormonal indices but not psychophysiological indices of noradrenergic function.
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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates neuronal activity and is a potential therapeutic tool for many neurological diseases. However, its beneficial effects on post cardiac arrest syndrome remains uncertain. ⋯ In this cardiac arrest rat model, repeated anodal tDCS commenced after resuscitation improves 96-h neurological outcome and survival to an extent comparable to TTM by attenuating post-resuscitation cerebral and cardiac injuries.