The DOI matches its Crossref record; 59 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Vagus-nerve stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy
Abstract
Vagus-nerve stimulation (VNS) is now an accepted treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy. There have been many studies suggesting that VNS affects the brain in such areas as the thalamus and other limbic structures. In addition, there is some evidence that norepinephrine is important in the prophylactic antiseizure effects of VNS. The efficacy of VNS has been established for partial seizure types, even in refractory patients who did not respond to surgical treatment for epilepsy. There are also data, from open-label studies, that suggest efficacy in other seizure types. Therefore, VNS seems to be a broad-spectrum treatment for epilepsy. Improvement is not immediate but increases over 18-24 months of treatment. Most studies report subjective improvements in various quality-of-life measurements during treatment with VNS--objective trials have confirmed this observation. Side-effects are mainly stimulation related and reversible and they tend to decrease over time. They are generally mild to moderate and seldom necessitate the removal of the device. No idiosyncratic side-effects have been reported in 12 years of experience, and VNS does not interact with antiepileptic drugs. Most adverse events are predictable and related to the specific stimulation regimen. VNS does not have cognitive and systemic side-effects and can, therefore, be a valuable treatment approach even for patients who have poor tolerance of antiepileptic drugs.
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“For example, in the case of nerve palsies appropriate electrical stimulation can be used to elicit a targeted muscular response, such as the use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) in foot drop (Lyons etal. 2002), bladder control in paraplegia (Brindley 1994; Brindley etal. 1982), or treatment of epilepsy by vagal nerve stimulation (Ben-Menachem 2002).”
From Peripheral nerve bionic interface: a review of electrodes (2019) · cites this paper as Ben-Menachem 2002
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Cites
Vagus nerve stimulation therapy for partial-onset seizures
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Long-term treatment with vagus nerve stimulation in patients with refractory epilepsy
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Self-citationEnhanced recognition memory following vagus nerve stimulation in human subjects
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Locus Coeruleus Lesions Suppress the Seizure‐Attenuating Effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation
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Prospective Long‐Term Study of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Refractory Seizures
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Self-citation
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Metadata
- Authors
- Ben-Menachem, E.
- Venue
- The Lancet Neurology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2002-12
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 477-482
- ISSN
- 1474-4422 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1971482087
- Cited by
- 560
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 30
- FWCI
- 0.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Lancet Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Clinical Neurology › Epilepsy research and treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Clinical Neurology › Deep Brain Stimulation and Movement Disorders
- Keywords
- vagus nerve stimulation, drug-resistant epilepsy, norepinephrine, focal seizures, thalamus, limbic structures, quality of life, adverse effects, seizure types
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Animals, Child, Child, Preschool, Clinical Trials as Topic, Electrodes, Implanted, Electric Stimulation Therapy, Epilepsy, Humans, Quality of Life, Vagus Nerve
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