Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Improvement of Vascular Cognitive Impairment

Ridengnaxi E, Yan Wang Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People’s Hospital, Hohhot, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yan Wang, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People’s Hospital, No. 20 of Zhaowuda Road, Saihan District, Hohhot, 010017, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 18148253963, Email wangyanyw26@126.comAbstract: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is acknowledged as a highly effective therapy for various neurological conditions, including refractory epilepsy, depression, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), migraine, and stroke. Presently, there is an increasing focus on understanding the impact of VNS on cognitive aspects. Numerous studies suggest that VNS suppresses the body’s inflammatory response, leading to enhanced cognitive function in patients. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a severe cognitive dysfunction syndrome resulting from prolonged chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH), where the primary pathogenesis is CCH-induced neuroinflammation. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the research advancements in using VNS for treating VCI and discuss that VNS improves cognitive function in VCI patients by suppressing neuroinflammation, offering insights into a potential novel approach for addressing this condition.Keywords: cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, chronic cerebral hypoperfusion, cognition, neuroinflammation, vagus nerve stimulation, vascular cognitive impairment