Evoked Pain Analgesia in Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients using Respiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve Stimulation

摘要

ObjectivePrevious Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) studies have demonstrated anti-nociceptive effects, and recent non-invasive approaches; termed transcutaneous-VNS, or t-VNS, have utilized stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve in the ear. The dorsal medullary vagal system operates in tune with respiration, and we propose that supplying vagal afferent stimulation gated to the exhalation phase of respiration can optimize t-VNS.