Table 1.
Detailed study characteristics and treatment.
| Study | Study groups | Ischemia model | VNS stimulation | VNS duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ay et al. (22) | Right VNS experiment gr 1 Right VNS experiment gr 2 Control gr (n = 6 in each gr) | Right TMCAO (120 min) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.5 ms EG1: stimulation every 30 min EG2: stimulation every 5 min | 3 h |
| Summary: right VNS reduced infarct size and improved functional scores with two different stimulation protocols after TMCAO | ||||
| Ay et al. (23) | Right VNS experiment gr Control gr (n = 8 in each gr) | Right TMCAO (120 min – right VNS) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.5 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h |
| Left VNS experiment gr | Right TMCAO (105 min – left VNS) Control gr (n = 8 in each gr) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.5 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h | |
| Summary: both right and left VNS reduced infarct size and improved functional scores | ||||
| Ay and Ay (26) | Right VNS experiment gr with intact SPG Right VNS experiment gr with SPG ablation | Right TMCAO (120 min – right VNS) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.5 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h |
| Summary: right VNS reduced infarct size and improved functional scores in SPG-intact and SPG-damaged animals | ||||
| Hiraki et al. (24) | Right VNS experiment gr (n = 10) Control gr (n = 10) Sham (n = 8) | Right TMCAO (120 min) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.3 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h |
| Summary: right VNS reduced infarct size and improved functional scores | ||||
| Sun et al. (25) | Right VNS experiment gr Control group (n = 8 in each group) | Right TMCAO (120 min) | a30 min after ischemia; 0.3 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h |
| Right VNS experiment gr Control gr (n = 8 in each group) | Right PMCAO with photochromatic occlusion | a30 min after ischemia; 0.3 ms stimulation every 5 min | 1 h | |
| Summary: right VNS reduced infarct size after both TMCAO and PMCAO but only improved functional scores after TMCAO and not PMCAO | ||||
| Khodaparast et al. (27) | Left VNS experiment gr (n = 6) Control group (n = 9) | Endothelin-1 injection at forelimb area of primary motor cortex | b50 ms within successful pull attempt; 0.1 ms stimulation, 15 pulses over 500 ms | 25 days |
| Summary: left VNS paired with rehabilitative training restored forelimb strength to pre-lesion performance | ||||
| Khodaparast et al. (28) | Left VNS experiment gr (n = 8) Control group (n = 9) | Endothelin-1 injection at forelimb area of primary motor cortex | b50 ms within successful pull attempt; 0.1 ms stimulation, 15 pulses over 500 ms | 25 days |
| Summary: left VNS paired with rehabilitative training restored forelimb function to pre-lesion performance | ||||
MCAO, middle cerebral artery occlusion; VNS, vagus nerve stimulation; gr, group; TMCAO, temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion; PMCAO, permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion; SPG, sphenopalatine ganglion.
a Groups used 0.5 mA and 20 Hz pulse trains.
b Groups used 0.8 mA and 30 Hz pulse trains.