Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on rat hippocampal progenitor proliferation
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), used in the treatment of epilepsy, was approved recently for treatment-resistant depression. The mechanisms of action of the VNS anti-depressive effects are not yet fully elucidated. Modulation of hippocampal neurogenesis has been proposed as an important factor in depression pathogenesis. We evaluated the effects of VNS on hippocampal progenitor turnover in the adult rat brain. Rats receiving VNS at the output current of 0.75 mA VNS for 2 days showed a significant 50% increase in dentate gyrus BrdU-incorporation consistent with an increase in progenitor proliferation. Output currents of 0.5 or 1.5 mA yielded non-significant trends for increased BrdU-labeling indicating an inverted U-shaped proliferative dose response to VNS as previously reported for other VNS-induced effects. Specific analysis for progenitor survival revealed no effects by VNS on dentate gyrus BrdU-labeling. These results suggest that VNS induced an increase in the number of available progenitor cells in the adult rat dentate gyrus by a mechanism presumably involving increased progenitor proliferation.
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VNS treatments might result in dynamic changes of monoamine metabolites in the hippocampus and several studies reported the influence of VNS on hippocampal neurogenesis.
“Thus, VNS treatments might result in dynamic changes of monoamine metabolites in the hippocampus (93) and several studies reported the influence of VNS on hippocampal neurogenesis (99, 100).”
From Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders (2018) · cites this paper as [100]
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- Authors
- Revesz, D., Tjernstrom, M., Ben-Menachem, E., & Thorlin, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Thorlin, Thorleif
- ORCID
- Revesz, David
- Venue
- Experimental Neurology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 214
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 259-265
- ISSN
- 0014-4886 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2026099701
- Cited by
- 126
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 4.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Experimental Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Västra Götalandsregionen
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- vagus nerve stimulation, hippocampal progenitor cells, progenitor cell proliferation, dentate gyrus, hippocampal neurogenesis, BrdU labeling, dose-response relationship, treatment-resistant depression
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cell Division, Depression, Electric Stimulation Therapy, Male, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons, Stem Cells, Vagus Nerve, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Dentate Gyrus, Rats, Stem Cell Niche
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