Abstract
Pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with rehabilitation has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance plasticity and improve recovery in a range of neurological disorders. A recent study highlights the therapeutic promise of VNS in promoting motor recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). We investigated the safety of acute VNS in a rat model of chronic SCI. We measured the cardiovascular response to various VNS paradigms following chronic high-thoracic SCI that is known to deleteriously impact cardiovascular control. Dose-response experiments with continuous VNS revealed an SCI-dependent increase in sensitivity for heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) compared with controls. A clinically relevant intermittent VNS resulted in transient reduction in HR in rats with SCI; however, BP remained unaltered. In all experiments, the effect lasted only while the VNS stimulus train was present, as HR and BP restored to baseline values as soon as VNS ended. No prolonged episodes of persisting hypotension were seen in either group. Further, VNS did not trigger autonomic dysreflexia or exacerbate the severity of autonomic dysreflexia when induced during or after stimulation sessions. Overall, these findings provide initial evidence that intermittent VNS at parameters used for targeted plasticity therapy (30 Hz, 0.8 mA) appears safe and supports further investigation of this potential therapy for use following SCI.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1149-1155 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Neurotrauma |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020.
Funding
The present study is supported by funds from Wings for Life Foundation (WFL-US-11-16; PI: Dr. Michael Kilgard). Dr. Hays's laboratory is additionally supported by funds from the National Institutes of Health (R01 NS094384 and UG3 NS109497), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Targeted Neuroplasticity Training program under the auspices of Dr. Tristan McClure-Begley through the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific Grant/Contract No. N66001-17-2-4011. Dr. Krassioukov's laboratory is supported by funds from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, BC Knowledge Development Fund, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, and Seed grants from the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. Dr. Sachdeva is supported by Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the University of British Columbia (Bluma Tischler Postdoctoral Fellowship). The present study is supported by funds from Wings for Life Foundation (WFL-US-11-16; PI: Dr. Michael Kilgard). Dr. Hays’s laboratory is additionally supported by funds from the National Institutes of Health (R01 NS094384 and UG3 NS109497), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Targeted Neuroplas-ticity Training program under the auspices of Dr. Tristan McClure-Begley through the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific Grant/Contract No. N66001-17-2-4011. Dr. Krassioukov’s laboratory is supported by funds from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, BC Knowledge Development Fund, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, and Seed grants from the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. Dr. Sachdeva is supported by Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and the University of British Columbia (Bluma Tischler Postdoctoral Fellowship).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center | N66001-17-2-4011 |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | UG3 NS109497 |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | |
| Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council | R01NS094384 |
| Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council | |
| Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | |
| Lungs for Life Foundation | |
| Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada | |
| Craig H. Neilsen Foundation | |
| Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command | |
| Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation | WFL-US-11-16 |
| Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation | |
| Canadian Institutes of Health Research | |
| Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research | |
| Univ. of Northern British Columbia |
Keywords
- cardiovascular control
- spinal cord injury
- vagus nerve stimulation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology