Electroacupuncture-based vagal stimulation attenuates epileptic seizures through a body-brain circuit - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #vagus-nerve-stimulation
- #epilepsy
- #electroacupuncture
- Electroacupuncture (EA) at specific acupoints like Dazhui (GV14) and Yaoqi (EXB9) can attenuate epileptic seizures by activating a vagal-brain circuit.
- GV14 EA activates vagal afferents and recruits neurons in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS), essential for seizure suppression.
- The antiseizure effect is mediated via a cNTS-locus coeruleus-amygdala circuit.
- Thread-embedding acupuncture at GV14 or EXB9 provides sustained seizure reduction in chronic epilepsy models.
- This study supports EA as a minimally invasive alternative to vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy treatment.