Vagus Nerve Stimulation Could Treat Symptoms Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a relatively common chronic inflammatory disease. Individuals experiencing rheumatoid arthritis show symptoms of pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. In The United States alone there are about 1.3 million people experiencing this disease. Additionally, the price to treat this disease in the united states is estimated to cost billions of dollars annually. Currently, there is no cure for this disorder, but the signs and symptoms are treated using synthetic and biological antirheumatic drugs. The downfall to the use of these types of medications is that they produce side effects. Also, synthetic and biological antirheumatic drugs are not effective in all individuals suffering from RA. A pilot study conducted by Sageeta S. Chavan and Meghan E. Addorisio aimed to test how effective non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation was in reducing inflammation and improving the severity of RA. The results of the study indicated that bioelectronic medicine treatment helped inhibit the production of cytokines in patients with RA. Cytokines are proteins that bring about inflammation and decrease the inflammatory response associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The results showed that non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve could diminish swelling and inflammation symptoms associated with RA. This new technology could potentially help millions of people experiencing severe symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. 

In the Brain & Behavior book used in class, Bob Garrett discusses the experiment done by German physiologist Otto Loewi. Loewi conducted an experiment on two frog heats. He stimulated the vagus nerve of one frog heart using electricity. The stimulation resulted in the heart slowing down. Before he stimulated the heart, he had put a salt solution on it to capture any chemicals that would be released from the stimulation. He took the salt solution and place the second frog heart in it which resulted in the heart slowing down. Through his experiment, Loewi demonstrated that transmission at the synapse is chemical. His experiment also reveals that the vagus nerve is associated with the release of chemicals that slow down the body. Likewise, the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with calming down the body and works together with the vagus nerve. A decrease in response to either of these structures could lead to more production of cytokines which is related to RA. This shows that the stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce some of the symptoms caused by RA. Additionally,  the article, "Why It's Difficult to Keep Your Job If You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis" by Ashley Boynes Shuck states that finding and keeping a job when suffering from RA can be difficult. The article mentions a study which found that 29 percent of people with RA quit their job because of the symptoms they experience. Similarly, another study mentioned in the article found that 1 in 3 people experiencing RA leaves the workforce after five years. Working while experiencing symptoms of RA can become a challenge, especially when the medication used to treat it produces side effects. Consequently, a new treatment is needed urgently to help people with RA continue to carry out their daily routines. The non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation treatment could potentially alleviate some of the more painful and stressful symptoms associated with RA. The treatment would enable people with this disease to continue to work and eliminate the side effects produced by other treatments of RA.  


Garrett, B. (2018). Brain & behavior: an introduction to behavioral neuroscience. (5th ed.) Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-1506349206

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 21, 2019 at 8:27 PM

    Brenda,

    What an interesting find. My dad has Rheumatoid Arthritis and suffers greatly from it. I was really interested in this and did some research of my own. I found that a small company in Valencia California, SetPoint Medical, has begun work using a vagus nerve simulation device. The device, the microregulator, has already been implanted into 14 patients with RA. The device is a small lithium ion battery within a inert silastic pod. They surgically implant the device at the top of the vagus nerve (left side of your neck) and it delivers an electrical pulse at set intervals.

    So far they have only begun the safety study but a pivotal trial is said to begin later this year. The same company has a similar device, gammaCore, which is a vagus nerve stimulator which patients apply to the neck for migraine and cluster headaches. That device is already on the market which makes this treatment proposal promising! Great topic for the blog and research to support it.

    https://www.nras.org.uk/nerve-stimulation-study-shows-potential

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CarlyHowesApril 21, 2019 at 9:06 PM

      Sorry I didn't realize I wasn't signed into my account. See below

      Delete
  2. CarlyHowesApril 21, 2019 at 9:05 PM

    Brenda,

    What an interesting find. My dad has Rheumatoid Arthritis and suffers greatly from it. I was really interested in this and did some research of my own. I found that a small company in Valencia California, SetPoint Medical, has begun work using a vagus nerve simulation device. The device, the microregulator, has already been implanted into 14 patients with RA. The device is a small lithium ion battery within a inert silastic pod. They surgically implant the device at the top of the vagus nerve (left side of your neck) and it delivers an electrical pulse at set intervals.

    So far they have only begun the safety study but a pivotal trial is said to begin later this year. The same company has a similar device, gammaCore, which is a vagus nerve stimulator which patients apply to the neck for migraine and cluster headaches. That device is already on the market which makes this treatment proposal promising! Great topic for the blog and research to support it.

    https://www.nras.org.uk/nerve-stimulation-study-shows-potential

    ReplyDelete

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