Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27988257›Full record

ArticleExperimental neurology2017

Parametric characterization of neural activity in the locus coeruleus in response to vagus nerve stimulation.

Daniel R Hulsey, Jonathan R Riley, Kristofer W Loerwald, Robert L Rennaker, Michael P Kilgard, Seth A Hays

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Experimental neurology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07226284 (The Effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Intrinsic Lower Leg Spinal Motoneuron Excitability in Parkinson's Disease.), which is not on this map. Cited by 185 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
185citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
8.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07226284 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

The Effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Intrinsic Lower Leg Spinal Motoneuron Excitability in Parkinson's Disease.

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of MinnesotaRan2026 to 2029Enrolled75ConditionsPARKINSON DISEASE (Disorder), Parkinson's Disease (PD)ArmsVagal nerve stimulation, No intervention
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

185 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 314 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Movement Disorders, from Principles to a Systematic Review of Evidence.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2025
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  9. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation to treat narcolepsy type 1 (TARGET-NT1): A two-arm, randomised, sham-controlled trial.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025
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125 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Daniel R HulseyThe University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, BSB 14, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; Texas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States.
Jonathan R RileyThe University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, BSB 14, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; Texas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States.
Kristofer W LoerwaldTexas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States.
Robert L RennakerThe University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, BSB 14, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; Texas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, 800 West Campbell Road, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080-3021, United States.
Michael P KilgardThe University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral Brain Sciences, BSB 14, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; Texas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States.
Seth A HaysTexas Biomedical Device Center, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080, United States; The University of Texas at Dallas, Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, 800 West Campbell Road, BSB 11, Richardson, TX 75080-3021, United States. Electronic address: seth.hays@utdallas.edu.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute · USThe University of Texas at Dallas · US

Funding

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired with Rehabilitative Training to Enhance PlasticityR01NS085167 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · PI KILGARD, MICHAEL P, RENNAKER, ROBERT L · 2014 to 2018
$1.9M
Evaluation of the Neuromodulatory Mechanisms of Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Improve Motor Rehabilitation after StrokeR01NS094384 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS · PI HAYS, SETH ALANSON · 2016 to 2020
$1.7M
NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS085167NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS094384
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a therapy to treat a wide range of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, depression, stroke, and tinnitus. Activation of neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) is believed to mediate many of the effects of VNS in the central nervous system. Despite the importance of the LC, there is a dearth of direct evidence characterizing neural activity in response to VNS. A detailed understanding of the brain activity evoked by VNS across a range of stimulation parameters may guide selection of stimulation regimens for therapeutic use. In this study, we recorded neural activity in the LC and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (Me5) in response to VNS over a broad range of current amplitudes, pulse frequencies, train durations, inter-train intervals, and pulse widths. Brief 0.5s trains of VNS drive rapid, phasic firing of LC neurons at 0.1mA. Higher current intensities and longer pulse widths drive greater increases in LC firing rate. Varying the pulse frequency substantially affects the timing, but not the total amount, of phasic LC activity. VNS drives pulse-locked neural activity in the Me5 at current levels above 1.2mA. These results provide insight into VNS-evoked phasic neural activity in multiple neural structures and may be useful in guiding the selection of VNS parameters to enhance clinical efficacy.

Indexed as

Action PotentialsAfferent PathwaysAnalysis of VarianceAnimalsBiophysicsFemaleLocus CoeruleusNeuronsRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyVagus NerveVagus Nerve StimulationFrequencyLocus coeruleusMesencephalic trigeminal nucleusPulse widthStimulation intensityStimulation parametersVagus nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID27988257
PMCPMC5297969
OpenAlexW2564149303

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

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.