ArticleJournal of neural engineering2016
Electronic enhancement of tear secretion.
Article in Journal of neural engineering, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Electrochemical skin conductance: a systematic review.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2019Pooled it
- Clinical Efficacy of Electrical Auricular Transcutaneous Stimulation for Dry Eye: A Sham-Controlled, Randomized Trial.Korean journal of ophthalmology : KJO · 2025Trial
- Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial Comparing the Impact of Sham or Intranasal Tear Neurostimulation on Conjunctival Goblet Cell Degranulation.American journal of ophthalmology · 2017Trial
- Cyclic extranasal neurostimulation for dry eye disease: a 4-week stimulation and 6-week intermission regimen based on neural adaptation dynamics.Eye and vision (London, England) · 2025Article
- Evaluating Magnetic Stimulation as an Innovative Approach for Treating Dry Eye Disease: An Initial Safety and Efficacy Study.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Inflammation mechanism and anti-inflammatory therapy of dry eye.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Review
- Stimulating Tear Production: Spotlight on Neurostimulation.Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Review
- Chronic Electrical Stimulation for Tear Secretion: Lacrimal vs. anterior ethmoid nerve.The ocular surface · 2019Article
- A comparative study of the quality of non-stimulated and stimulated tears in normal eye male subjects using the tear ferning test.Clinical optometry · 2019Article
- Inductively coupled, mm-sized, single channel optical neuro-stimulator with intensity enhancer.Microsystems & nanoengineering · 2019Article
- End-to-End Design of Efficient Ultrasonic Power Links for Scaling Towards Submillimeter Implantable Receivers.IEEE transactions on biomedical circuits and systems · 2018Article
- Enhanced Tearing by Electrical Stimulation of the Anterior Ethmoid Nerve.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2017Article
- Electronic approaches to restoration of sight.Reports on progress in physics. Physical Society (Great Britain) · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo study electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland and afferent nerves for enhanced tear secretion, as a potential treatment for dry eye disease. We investigate the response pathways and electrical parameters to safely maximize tear secretion. APPROACH: We evaluated the tear response to electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland and afferent nerves in isofluorane-anesthetized rabbits. In acute studies, electrical stimulation was performed using bipolar platinum foil electrodes, implanted beneath the inferior lacrimal gland, and a monopolar electrode placed near the afferent ethmoid nerve. Wireless microstimulators with bipolar electrodes were implanted beneath the lacrimal gland for chronic studies. To identify the response pathways, we applied various pharmacological inhibitors. To optimize the stimulus, we measured tear secretion rate (Schirmer test) as a function of pulse amplitude (1.5-12 mA), duration (0.1-1 ms) and repetition rate (10-100 Hz). MAIN
resultsStimulation of the lacrimal gland increased tear secretion by engaging efferent parasympathetic nerves. Tearing increased with stimulation amplitude, pulse duration and repetition rate, up to 70 Hz. Stimulation with 3 mA, 500 μs pulses at 70 Hz provided a 4.5 mm (125%) increase in Schirmer score. Modulating duty cycle further increased tearing up to 57%, compared to continuous stimulation in chronically implanted animals (36%). Ethmoid (afferent) nerve stimulation increased tearing similar to gland stimulation (3.6 mm) via a reflex pathway. In animals with chronically implanted stimulators, a nearly 6 mm increase (57%) was achieved with 12-fold less charge density per pulse (0.06-0.3 μC mm(-2) with 170-680 μs pulses) than the damage threshold (3.5 μC mm(-2) with 1 ms pulses). SIGNIFICANCE: Electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland or afferent nerves may be used as a treatment for dry eye disease. Clinical trials should validate this approach in patients with aqueous tear deficiency, and further optimize electrical parameters for maximum clinical efficacy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.