The Vagus Nerve and Stroke

It feels like in every practice area, the importance of the vagus nerve is being talked about.

But nowhere is it being researched as much as vagal nerve stimulation post-stroke. And the initial results are promising — as long as it is paired with rehabilitation. The stimulation sets the body up for new motor learning, but then the rehab actually creates the change.

In this beginner’s course, I’m excited to talk to Sarah Blair, OTR/L from Vivistim about what she has learned about this relatively new intervention and what generalist OTs need to know about this option.

1. You will identify the components of rehabilitation interventions paired with vagus nerve stimulation to show significant improvement.

2. You will recognize how functional improvements are assessed for vagus nerve stimulation and rehabilitation.

• Intro

• Discussion

  1. Tell me about your OT journey to working for a VNS company.

  2. What have you learned about the vagus nerve and its role in recovery?

  3. I want to give a short overview of a systematic review on VNS. What jumps out to you in this article?

  4. Walk us through the mechanics of VNS stimulation.

  5. What type of therapy is paired with it? And do therapists need special training?

  6. How is success being measured?

  7. How much does VNS cost, and how do patients access it?

  8. Who is VNS a best fit for currently? And, who is NOT a candidate?

  9. What do you personally see as the future of VNS and stroke rehab?

• Live Q&A

• Closing

• The Effect of Vagus Nerve Stimulation on the Rehabilitation of Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis*

• Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation for upper limb motor function after ischaemic stroke (VNS-REHAB): a randomised, blinded, pivotal, device trial

• Long-Term Outcomes of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Upper Extremity Rehabilitation After Stroke

  * The meta-analysis mentioned in this podcast episode includes different VNS therapies that works via different mechanisms of action. To read clinical studies specific to paired VNS Therapy, you can check out the Vivistim clinical bibliography page. You can also check out the Vivistim safety standards here.

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in vagus nerve stimulation or in any device discussed in this course.

Speaker interests: Sarah Blair is employed by Mobia Medical, which distributes the Vivistim Paired VNS System — the device discussed in this course. Because paired VNS is currently available from a limited number of manufacturers, much of the clinical evidence discussed comes from studies of a single device.