Modifying functional brain networks in focal epilepsy by manual visceral-osteopathic stimulation of the vagus nerve at the abdomen

Hendrik Lehnertz; Timo Broehl; Thorsten Rings; Randi von Wrede; Klaus Lehnertz

doi:10.3389/fnetp.2023.1205476

Modifying functional brain networks in focal epilepsy by manual visceral-osteopathic stimulation of the vagus nerve at the abdomen

Front Netw Physiol. 2023 Jul 13:3:1205476. doi: 10.3389/fnetp.2023.1205476. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hendrik Lehnertz¹, Timo Broehl^{2

3}, Thorsten Rings^{2

3}, Randi von Wrede², Klaus Lehnertz^{2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ BMT Internationale Akademie für Biodynamische Manuelle Therapie GmbH, Bühler, Switzerland.
² Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
³ Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
⁴ Interdisciplinary Center for Complex Systems, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

Non-invasive transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation elicits similar therapeutic effects as invasive vagus nerve stimulation, offering a potential treatment alternative for a wide range of diseases, including epilepsy. Here, we present a novel, non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve, which is performed manually viscero-osteopathically on the abdomen (voVNS). We explore the impact of short-term voVNS on various local and global characteristics of EEG-derived, large-scale evolving functional brain networks from a group of 20 subjects with and without epilepsy. We observe differential voVNS-mediated alterations of these characteristics that can be interpreted as a reconfiguration and modification of networks and their stability and robustness properties. Clearly, future studies are necessary to assess the impact of such a non-pharmaceutical intervention on clinical decision-making in the treatment of epilepsy. However, our findings may add to the current discussion on the importance of the gut-brain axis in health and disease. Clinical Trial Registration: https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00029914, identifier DRKS00029914.

Keywords: electroencephalogram; enteric nervous system; epilepsy; functional brain network; gut-brain axis; vagus nerve.