Vagal Nerve Stimulation

In discussions about vagal nerve stimulation (VNS), we talk of:

  • The wandering nerve
  • The vagal nerve
  • The vagus nerve
  • The tenth cranial nerve
  • CN X

These terms all refer to one and the same thing: the longest cranial nerve in the body, the nerve that connects all your internal organs to your brain. If any nerve deserves the accolade of “the mind-body nerve,” it’s the vagal nerve. It’s responsible for transmitting signals that connect your brain to your gut, your heart, kidneys, and lungs. Without the vagal nerve, interoception wouldn’t be possible.

The vagal nerve
An illustration showing connectivity of the parasympathetic nervous system between brain and internal organs via the vagal nerve (N X) and other cranial nerves. (Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436., CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Key Dates in the Development of VNS

  • 1988: The first human implant of an implantable vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) took place for pharmaco-resistant epilepsy.
  • 1997: The US FDA approved VNS for use as an adjunctive therapy to treat medically refractory epilepsy.
  • 2005: VNS was approved by the FDA for treating treatment-resistant depression.
  • 2017: VNS for the acute treatment of pain associated with episodic cluster headaches approved by the FDA.
  • 2018: FDA expanded its use of VNS to include the preventive treatment of cluster headaches.
  • 2021: The FDA approves VNS for use in improving upper extremity motor function after chronic ischemic stroke.
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