Vagus nerve stimulation to improve post-stroke motor function and activity - PubMed
7 hours ago
- #Stroke Rehabilitation
- #Motor Function
- #Vagus Nerve Stimulation
- Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is explored as an adjunct to rehabilitation for improving upper extremity (UE) motor function post-stroke.
- The review includes 10 studies (547 participants) comparing VNS paired with rehabilitation to rehabilitation alone, with mixed findings on effectiveness.
- Evidence is very uncertain about VNS's effect on UE motor function, activity, and quality of life in the short-term, with low certainty due to bias and small sample sizes.
- VNS may result in little to no increased risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) compared to rehabilitation alone.
- Most studies had a high risk of bias, and few included long-term follow-up measurements.
- Ongoing and awaiting classification studies suggest further research is needed to clarify VNS's benefits and harms.