Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation linked to lower symptoms in concussion patients with PTSD
In a retrospective, uncontrolled analysis, 35 patients with chronic mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD reported lower symptom burden after three to four months of adjunctive non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation.
What happened
The authors looked back at 175 patients with chronic mild traumatic brain injury who had used a handheld non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator alongside their usual care. Of the 102 with complete symptom data, 42 had completed a PTSD questionnaire, and 35 of those met the threshold for probable PTSD. In this subgroup, mean scores on the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory fell from 2.50 to 2.03 over three to four months, and 40% had at least a 30% reduction in total symptom burden. No device-related adverse events were reported.
Why it matters
People with both concussion and PTSD often respond poorly to existing treatments, and a low-risk, non-invasive device would be a useful option. This analysis gives a reason to run a proper trial.
Caveats
This was a small, retrospective, post-hoc subgroup analysis with no control or sham group, so the improvement cannot be attributed to the device. Authors include people affiliated with electroCore, the device's manufacturer.
Retrospective post-hoc subgroup analysis of adjunctive non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in chronic mTBI with comorbid PTSD
Read at Frontiers in Neuroscience ↗