Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Default Mode Network in Major Depressive Disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Depression is the most common form of mental disorder in community and health care settings and current treatments are far from satisfactory. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a Food and Drug Administration approved somatic treatment for treatment-resistant depression. However, the involvement of surgery has limited VNS only to patients who have failed to respond to multiple treatment options. Transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) is a relatively new, noninvasive VNS method based on the rationale that there is afferent/efferent vagus nerve distribution on the surface of the ear. The safe and low-cost characteristics of tVNS have the potential to significantly expand the clinical application of VNS.

Methods

In this study, we investigated how tVNS can modulate the default mode n

SUBMITTER: Fang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4838995 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature