Cited by 238Regulation of Appetite and ObesityVagus Nerve Stimulation ResearchGastrointestinal motility and disorders

Role of the vagus nerve in the development and treatment of diet‐induced obesity

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de Lartigue, Guillaume·2016·The Journal of Physiology

Abstract

This review highlights evidence for a role of the vagus nerve in the development of obesity and how targeting the vagus nerve with neuromodulation or pharmacology can be used as a therapeutic treatment of obesity. The vagus nerve innervating the gut plays an important role in controlling metabolism. It communicates peripheral information about the volume and type of nutrients between the gut and the brain. Depending on the nutritional status, vagal afferent neurons express two different neurochemical phenotypes that can inhibit or stimulate food intake. Chronic ingestion of calorie‐rich diets reduces sensitivity of vagal afferent neurons to peripheral signals and their constitutive expression of orexigenic receptors and neuropeptides. This disruption of vagal afferent signalling is sufficient to drive hyperphagia and obesity. Furthermore neuromodulation of the vagus nerve can be used in the treatment of obesity. Although the mechanisms are poorly understood, vagal nerve stimulation prevents weight gain in response to a high‐fat diet. In small clinical studies, in patients with depression or epilepsy, vagal nerve stimulation has been demonstrated to promote weight loss. Vagal blockade, which inhibits the vagus nerve, results in significant weight loss. Vagal blockade is proposed to inhibit aberrant orexigenic signals arising in obesity as a putative mechanism of vagal blockade‐induced weight loss. Approaches and molecular targets to develop future pharmacotherapy targeted to the vagus nerve for the treatment of obesity are proposed. In conclusion there is strong evidence that the vagus nerve is involved in the development of obesity and it is proving to be an attractive target for the treatment of obesity. image

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Crossref · 10.1113/jp271538

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  • VNS has been approved for the treatment of epilepsy and treatment-refractory depression and has shown initial evidence for weight loss in these two populations.

    “VNS has been approved for the treatment of epilepsy and treatment-refractory depression110 and has shown initial evidence for weight loss in these two populations111.”

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Authors
de Lartigue, G.
Affiliations
The John B. Pierce Laboratory New Haven CT USA
Venue
The Journal of Physiology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2016-05-29
Volume
594
Issue
20
Pages
5791-5815
ISSN
  • 0022-3751 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7793
OpenAlex
W2294585041
Cited by
238
References
184
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6
FWCI
1.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Journal of Physiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (R00DK094871)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
Keywords
vagus nerve, diet-induced obesity, vagal afferent neurons, gut-brain signaling, hyperphagia, high-fat diet, vagus nerve stimulation, vagal blockade, weight loss, orexigenic peptides, obesity treatment
MeSH terms
Animals, Body Weight, Humans, Hyperphagia, Neurons, Afferent, Obesity, Vagus Nerve, Diet, High-Fat

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