Vagus Nerve Stimulator

Vagus nerve is the longest mixed cranial nerve associated structurally with the post olivary sulcus of the medulla oblongata. The literal translation of the vagus is 'wanderer,' which aptly represents its widespread interfacing of cortex, brainstem, hypothalamus, and the body. Its afferent and efferent pathways comprise about 80% and 20%, respectively. With a premise that venous hyperemia caused seizures, James Corning, a 19th-century neurologist from New York, devised instrumented carotid compression along with vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment intervention for seizures. His observations were not put to the test until the latter part of the 20th century. In the 1980s, various observational studies emerged in the cybernetic use of a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) in refractory epilepsy. Currently, VNS is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for various conditions like chronic epilepsy, refractory epilepsy, and depression. It is also being investigated in various other conditions like autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders.