Body of Research

Bioelectronic medicine progressively comes into focus as offering a non-pharmaceutical treatment option for various diseases. Here neuromodulation of the vagus nerve (VN) has gained a special interest. In a comprehensive review technical issues, modeling concepts, regulatory and safety requirements, and novel architectures of open and closed-loop aVNS paradigms, Kaniusas and his colleagues focus on the physiological role of VN including a biology-driven rationale for Auricular Vagus Nerve Sti...

Gary Stanton, MD, provides an overview of how ear acupuncture is used in the treatment of various neurologic conditions. Although not comprehensive, this paper offers informative citations (primarily journal articles referenced in PubMed) to demonstrate that auriculotherapy used in neurology is an evidence-based medicine. Read the full paper (external link) Reference: Stanton G. Auriculotherapy in Neurology as an Evidence-Based Medicine: A Brief Overview. Med Acupunct. 2018;30(3):130–132.

In a review of TNS, tVNS and Auricular Stimulation, Benjamina Mercante (and her colleagues Franca Deriu, and Claire-Marie Rangon) present possible sites and mechanisms of action in the Central Nervous System. The paper suggests that with the continuous advancement since the auricular maps of physician Paul Nogier, the field of advanced non-invasive neuromodulation via the ear, due to the innervation by the cervical plexus, may become the most affordable, accurate and powerful gateway to the b...

Since the early part of the 20th century, electro therapy has been used to treat severe depression. With the advance of new devices — e.g. low-level current for neuronal stimulation via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and vagus as well as transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (VNS and tVNS) — the study and treatment of cognitive function in patients with epilepsy and major depression has had significant advance from early “shock therap...

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or photobiomodulation has been in clinical use not only for wound healing and pain relief, but also the treatment of stroke, myocardial infarction, and degenerative or traumatic brain disorders. This review, which covers the mechanisms of LLLT on a cellular and a tissue level, offers biological context to practitioners who use low-level laser (cold laser) in Auricular Medicine, specifically with relevance to neurology. Sign up for our online LLLT courses and l...