Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for heart rate control using novel neural interfaces

This paper demonstrates a novel neural interface for stimulation of a vagus nerve in rats. This novel design allows easy and quick implantation on very small nerves, so that it provides reliable stimulation in the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in rats is conducted using this neural interface to control heart rate while monitoring electrocardiogram (ECG). The heart rate is temporarily decreased while the stimulation and is recovered to baseline condition after the stimulation within certain ranges of stimulation parameters. This result shows that the proposed novel interface would be useful for peripheral nerve modulation in the future.