The strange case of the ear and the heart: The auricular vagus nerve and its influence on cardiac control.

AR Murray, L Atkinson, MK Mahadi, SA Deuchars, J Deuchars

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)
144 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The human ear seems an unlikely candidate for therapies aimed at improving cardiac function, but the ear and the heart share a common connection: the vagus nerve. In recent years there has been increasing interest in the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN), a unique cutaneous subdivision of the vagus distributed to the external ear. Non-invasive electrical stimulation of this nerve through the skin may offer a simple, cost-effective alternative to the established method of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), which requires a surgical procedure and has generated mixed results in a number of clinical trials for heart failure. This review discusses the available evidence in support of modulating cardiac activity using this strange auricular nerve.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-53
JournalAutonomic Neuroscience
Early online date28 Jun 2016
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 28 Jun 2016

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The strange case of the ear and the heart: The auricular vagus nerve and its influence on cardiac control.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this