Organ- and function-specific anatomical organization of vagal fibers supports fascicular vagus nerve stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Vagal fibers travel inside fascicles and form branches to innervate organs and regulate organ functions. Existing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapies activate vagal fibers non-selectively, often resulting in reduced efficacy and side effects from non-targeted organs. The transverse and longitudinal arrangement of fibers inside the vagal trunk with respect to the functions they mediate and organs they innervate is unknown, however it is crucial for selective VNS. Using micro-computed tomography imaging, we tracked fascicular trajectories and found that, in swine, sensory and motor fascicles are spatially separated cephalad, close to the nodose ganglion, and merge caudad, towards the lower cervical and upper thoracic region; larynx-, heart- and lung-specific fascicles are separated cauda

SUBMITTER: Jayaprakash N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10228508 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature