Kevin Tracey, MD: The Untapped Potential of Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a medical treatment that involves placing an electrode on the vagus nerve to stimulate it with electrical impulses. The treatment can be done in two ways: The first method is to place an electrode on the vagus nerve—typically in the neck near the Adam’s apple—and the second method is through focused ultrasound, which can specifically target the vagus nerve.

In an interview with The Educated Patient, Kevin Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, discussed how bioelectronic medicine could benefit patients with chronic conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Years ago, Tracey and his team discovered that direct vagus nerve stimulation can turn off inflammation. Inflammation is the immune system’s response to injury or infection, like the redness and swelling from a twisted ankle or the fever and chills from an infection. Turning off inflammation with VNS opens the door to treating many conditions. Currently, the two most extensively studied conditions so far are RA, where inflammation affects the joints, and IBS, where it affects the intestines.

When taken into consideration how many diseases are caused or worsened by inflammation—cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke—Tracey emphasized the potential for VNS becomes enormous.

As researchers continue clinical testing and use of VNS, Tracey hypothesized that, in the future, some patients with conditions such as RA may even be able to use VNS as their primary treatment. Presently, the available drugs for RA are expensive, often injectable, and come with serious side effects, including US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-required black box warnings. Additionally, these drugs only work in 50% or less of patients, so there is a clear need for new options.

If clinical successes with VNS continue, Tracey said, it could become a significant treatment option for alleviating symptoms in many patients across a variety of conditions.

Disclosures: Tracey is the co-founder of SetPoint Medical.