Towards Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative motor disorder. Evidence points towards neuroinflammation as one of the driving forces of the neurodegeneration observed in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which results in the clinical symptoms observed. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to downregulate inflammatory markers in the peripheral and central nervous systems. Thus, we hypothesize that VNS therapy may be beneficial in slowing the progression of parkinsonian symptoms. To work toward testing this hypothesis, we first developed a simplified method for fabrication of a stimulating cuff electrode suitable for chronic implantation in rats. We then characterize the skilled motor deficits in DJ-1 knockout rats, a genetic rat model of Parkinson’s disease that has previously been reported to show progressive neurodegeneration and gross motor deficits. Finally, we test the effects of VNS on the skilled motor ability of the DJ-1 KO rat