What is the role of the vagus nerve in this study?

The vagus nerve influences motor and sensory functions, which are critical for the lever press task performed by the rats.

How was the vagus nerve stimulated?

A peripheral nerve cuff electrode was used to deliver electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve during the task.

What were the stimulation parameters used?

The stimulation consisted of 15 biphasic pulses at a frequency of 30 Hz, with each pulse lasting 100 microseconds.

What were the main findings of the study?

The study found that VNS enhanced neurotransmitter release and improved motor learning in the rats.

What implications does this research have?

The findings suggest potential therapeutic applications of VNS for motor impairments and rehabilitation.

How long were the training sessions?

The training sessions lasted for 30 minutes each, conducted over a series of trials.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation via Chronically Implanted Peripheral Nerve Cuff Electrodes in Rats

JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments

Neuroscience

0 views • 2:00 min • August 29th, 2025

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Take a rat trained in a lever press task, where the rat must extend its arm to press the lever to get a food reward.

The rat also has a chronically implanted peripheral nerve cuff electrode on its vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve influences motor and sensory functions, such as arm movement during the lever press task.

The peripheral nerve cuff electrode is connected to an implanted head cap that enables stimulus delivery to the brain of the rat.

The chronically implanted peripheral nerve cuff electrode allows for repeated nerve stimulation over an extended period.

Connect the awake rat to a stimulus generator via the implanted head cap.

After each successful lever press task, immediately stimulate the vagus nerve.

Within the brain, these stimulations trigger the release of neurotransmitters, which strengthen the neural connections associated with the required motor movements

After assembling the head cap and implanting the cuff electrodes according to manuscript directions, stimulate the vagus nerve while the rat is awake. Connect the rat to a stimulus generator via the implanted head cap and adjust the stimulation settings. For VNS induced reorganization of the motor cortical map, deliver a single train of 15 biphasic pulses, each with a width of 100 microseconds, and an amplitude of 800 micro ampere at a frequency of 30 hertz.

A stimulation train is delivered immediately after the detection of each successful lever press throughout 10, 30 minute training sessions