The vagus nerve

This is a good overview: http://healthfixit.com/vagus-nerve/

The vagus nerve connects the brain to almost all the vital organs in the body, running from the brain stem down both sides of the neck, across the chest and into the abdomen. In the brain, it is linked directly to two regions known to play roles in alertness and consciousness.

Different researchers have also identified that the vagus nerve controls glucose homeostasis, independent of changes in insulin (via Leptin). At least, it works that way in non-diabetics.

Patients lying in a vegetative state present severe impairments of consciousness [1] caused by lesions in the cortex, the brainstem, the thalamus and the white matter [2]. There is agreement that this condition may involve disconnections in long-range cortico–cortical and thalamo-cortical pathways [3]. Hence, in the vegetative state cortical activity is ‘deafferented’ from subcortical modulation and/or principally disrupted between fronto-parietal regions. Some patients in a vegetative state recover while others persistently remain in such a state. The neural signature of spontaneous recovery is linked to increased thalamo-cortical activity and improved fronto-parietal functional connectivity [3]. The likelihood of consciousness recovery depends on the extent of brain damage and patients’ etiology, but after one year of unresponsive behavior, chances become low [1]. There is thus a need to explore novel ways of repairing lost consciousness. Here we report beneficial effects of vagus nerve stimulation on consciousness level of a single patient in a vegetative state, including improved behavioral responsiveness and enhanced brain connectivity patterns.

in Restoring consciousness

These findings show that stimulation of the vagus nerve promoted the spread of cortical signals and caused an increase of metabolic activity leading to behavioral improvement as measured with the CRS-R scale and as reported by clinicians and family members. Thus, potentiating vagus nerve inputs to the brain helps to restore consciousness even after many years of being in a vegetative state, thus challenging the belief that disorders of consciousness persisting after 12 months are irreversible [1]. The direct connection between the NTS where the vagus nerve originates and the thalamus may be at the origin of the significant increase in theta signal recorded at the cortical level. In particular, the parietal cortex appears to be a major player in guiding the expansion of neural activity across brain areas. The enhanced neural activity might also be mediated by neurotransmission changes given that vagus nerve projections target key regions important for the liberation of norepinephrine and serotonin [7]. Finally, since the vagus nerve has bidirectional control over the brain and the body, reactivation of sensory/visceral afferences might have enhanced brain activity within a body/brain closed loop process. Our study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of vagus nerve stimulation to modulate large-scale human brain activity and alleviate disorders of consciousness

re TENS unit

I became interested in vagus nerve stimulation back when we heard the news about Kevin Tracey's work, which was focused on the response of RA patients.

TENS seems like something very different to me. I had a TENS unit some years ago. I found the sensation mostly unpleasant.

I believe vagal nerve stimulation is possible using simple external methods. (No cost!)

Massaging on either side of the upper chest, just below the clavicles in a circular motion has been suggested by some. Or gentle upper chest “thumping”. Or gentle massage/pull of ear lobes or area behind ear lobes.

Joyful Foundation staff

I just spent some time on youtube looking for massage of the vagus nerve and found every imaginable way of stimulating the nerve but almost nothing using massage. Some of the ways mentioned I am already doing, fasting, cold shower, exercise, and I still have weak balance and tinnitus.

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