Heart rate under moderate level stimulation (0.75 mA) i

Vagal nerve stimulation therapy: what is being stimulated? Kember G, Ardell JL, Armour JA, Zamir M - PLoS ONE (2014) Bottom Line: The therapy has shown promise but the mechanisms by which any benefit accrues is not understood.The model provides insight beyond what is available in the animal experiment in as much as allowing the simultaneous assessment of neuronal activity throughout the cardiac neural axis.This leads us to propose that the chronic effects of vagal nerve stimulation therapy lie within the indirect pathways that target intrinsic cardiac local circuit neurons because they have the capacity for plasticity. View Article: PubMed Central - PubMed Affiliation: Department of Engineering Mathematics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ABSTRACT Vagal nerve stimulation in cardiac therapy involves delivering electrical current to the vagal sympathetic complex in patients experiencing heart failure. The therapy has shown promise but the mechanisms by which any benefit accrues is not understood. In this paper we model the response to increased levels of stimulation of individual components of the vagal sympathetic complex as a differential activation of each component in the control of heart rate. The model provides insight beyond what is available in the animal experiment in as much as allowing the simultaneous assessment of neuronal activity throughout the cardiac neural axis. The results indicate that there is sensitivity of the neural network to low level subthreshold stimulation. This leads us to propose that the chronic effects of vagal nerve stimulation therapy lie within the indirect pathways that target intrinsic cardiac local circuit neurons because they have the capacity for plasticity. Show MeSH Major Heart Conduction System/physiopathology* Heart Failure/physiopathology/therapy Heart Rate* Vagus Nerve Stimulation* Minor Animals Humans Related in: MedlinePlus	© Copyright Policy Related In: Results - Collection License Show All Figures getmorefigures.php?uid=PMC4257685&req=5 pone-0114498-g003: Heart rate under moderate level stimulation (0.75 mA) in the same animal as in Figure 1.Pronounced tachycardia is observed. Mentions: Pronounced tachycardia is observed.

Vagal nerve stimulation therapy: what is being stimulated?

Kember G, Ardell JL, Armour JA, Zamir M - PLoS ONE (2014)

Bottom Line: The therapy has shown promise but the mechanisms by which any benefit accrues is not understood.The model provides insight beyond what is available in the animal experiment in as much as allowing the simultaneous assessment of neuronal activity throughout the cardiac neural axis.This leads us to propose that the chronic effects of vagal nerve stimulation therapy lie within the indirect pathways that target intrinsic cardiac local circuit neurons because they have the capacity for plasticity.

View Article: PubMed Central - PubMed

Affiliation: Department of Engineering Mathematics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

ABSTRACT

Vagal nerve stimulation in cardiac therapy involves delivering electrical current to the vagal sympathetic complex in patients experiencing heart failure. The therapy has shown promise but the mechanisms by which any benefit accrues is not understood. In this paper we model the response to increased levels of stimulation of individual components of the vagal sympathetic complex as a differential activation of each component in the control of heart rate. The model provides insight beyond what is available in the animal experiment in as much as allowing the simultaneous assessment of neuronal activity throughout the cardiac neural axis. The results indicate that there is sensitivity of the neural network to low level subthreshold stimulation. This leads us to propose that the chronic effects of vagal nerve stimulation therapy lie within the indirect pathways that target intrinsic cardiac local circuit neurons because they have the capacity for plasticity.