Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States
Jordan Hickman
Departments of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
Naveen Jayaprakash
Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States
Dane Thompson
Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States; The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Manhasset, United States
Umair Ahmed
Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States
Eleni S Papadoyannis
Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Neural Science, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States
Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Neural Science, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, United States
Kevin J Tracey
Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States
Cristin Welle
Departments of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, United States
Yousef Al-Abed
Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, United States
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) suppresses inflammation and autoimmune diseases in preclinical and clinical studies. The underlying molecular, neurological, and anatomical mechanisms have been well characterized using acute electrophysiological stimulation of the vagus. However, there are several unanswered mechanistic questions about the effects of chronic VNS, which require solving numerous technical challenges for a long-term interface with the vagus in mice. Here, we describe a scalable model for long-term VNS in mice developed and validated in four research laboratories. We observed significant heart rate responses for at least 4 weeks in 60–90% of animals. Device implantation did not impair vagus-mediated reflexes. VNS using this implant significantly suppressed TNF levels in endotoxemia. Histological examination of implanted nerves revealed fibrotic encapsulation without axonal pathology. This model may be useful to study the physiology of the vagus and provides a tool to systematically investigate long-term VNS as therapy for chronic diseases modeled in mice.
