UTD Research Reveals Vagus Nerve Stimulation's Potential in Reducing Drug-Seeking Behavior
Cognition and neuroscience doctoral student Christopher Driskill (left) and Dr. Sven Kroener, associate professor of neuroscience, demonstrated that vagus nerve stimulation might help retrain the brain to decrease drug-seeking behavior.
A research team from The University of Texas at Dallas has demonstrated in a preclinical study that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) could help retrain the brain at the cellular level to reduce drug-seeking behavior through a specific neuromodulator.
Dr. Sven Kroener, associate professor of neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is the corresponding author of the study, which was published in the June 5 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. His team investigated the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key nerve growth factor that regulates synaptic transmission and is released in response to VNS.