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If research can confirm this, researchers say VNS could help with a variety of health issues. It’s used to treat some cases of epilepsy and depression that don’t respond to other treatments.Įxperts believe the vagus nerve might form a link between depression, metabolic disease, and heart disease.
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Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) involves placing a device in the body that uses electrical impulses to stimulate the nerve. To prevent it, a doctor may recommend drinking plenty of fluids or avoiding standing up quickly. If you experience fainting, it’s a good idea to see a doctor to rule out potential serious causes.
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This is known as vasovagal syncope.įactors that can trigger this include pregnancy, emotional stress, and pain, but there may be no clear cause.Īlongside this type of fainting, you may experience: When it overreacts, it can cause a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, resulting in fainting. The vagus nerve stimulates certain muscles in the heart that help to slow heart rate. After 4 weeks, participants saw improvements in their symptoms, including their ability to empty the bowel, suggesting this could be a useful therapy for people with this condition. Some people develop gastroparesis after undergoing a vagotomy procedure, which removes all or part of the vagus nerve.Ī 2020 study looked at the impact of vagal nerve stimulation in people with mild to moderate gastroparesis without a known underlying cause.
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loss of appetite or feeling full shortly after starting a meal.nausea or vomiting, especially vomiting undigested food hours after eating.This condition affects the involuntary contractions of the digestive system, which prevents the stomach from properly emptying. GastroparesisĮxperts believe that damage to the vagus nerve may also cause a condition called gastroparesis. This can be further explained by management of some types of tachycardia that can include vagal nerve maneuvers in order to try to stimulate more vagal nerve activity to slow the heart rate. Vagal nerve dysfunction can cause both slow and fast heart rates depending on the type of dysfunction.įor example, overactivity can lead to bradycardia (or slow heart rate) while disease causing insufficient activity of the vagus nerve can lead to tachycardia (fast heart rate). The symptoms someone might have depend on what part of the nerve is damaged. depression and anxiety in people with breathing problems or heart disease.
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Potential symptoms of damage to the vagus nerve include:
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The vagus nerve sensory functions are divided into two components: It runs from the brain stem to part of the colon. This is a very appropriate name, as the vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. The word “vagus” means wandering in Latin.
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