Dr. Karl Deisseroth

By innervate, I mean it sends little connections down to help guide what happens in these organs in the abdomen and chest. it also collects information back. And there's information coming back from all those organs that also go through this vagus nerve, the 10th cranial nerve, back to the brain. And so this is somewhat of a superhighway to the brain then, was the idea.

And maybe the idea is maybe we could put a little cuff, a little electrical device around the vagus nerve itself, so a way of getting into the brain without putting something physical into the brain.

And maybe the idea is maybe we could put a little cuff, a little electrical device around the vagus nerve itself, so a way of getting into the brain without putting something physical into the brain.

And maybe the idea is maybe we could put a little cuff, a little electrical device around the vagus nerve itself, so a way of getting into the brain without putting something physical into the brain.

That's the reason, yes. Really?

That's the reason, yes. Really?

That's the reason, yes. Really?

It started as actually as an epilepsy treatment and it can help with epilepsy, but the vagus nerve lands on a particular spot on the brain called the solitary tract nucleus, which is just one synapse away from the serotonin and dopamine and the norepinephrine.

It started as actually as an epilepsy treatment and it can help with epilepsy, but the vagus nerve lands on a particular spot on the brain called the solitary tract nucleus, which is just one synapse away from the serotonin and dopamine and the norepinephrine.

It started as actually as an epilepsy treatment and it can help with epilepsy, but the vagus nerve lands on a particular spot on the brain called the solitary tract nucleus, which is just one synapse away from the serotonin and dopamine and the norepinephrine.

Yes, it's not irrational, but I can tell you that even if that were not true, the same thing would have been tried. You got you would have done it anyway. Because it's accessible.

Yes, it's not irrational, but I can tell you that even if that were not true, the same thing would have been tried. You got you would have done it anyway. Because it's accessible.

Yes, it's not irrational, but I can tell you that even if that were not true, the same thing would have been tried. You got you would have done it anyway. Because it's accessible.

It could be, but I would say we don't have evidence for that. And so I just don't know. But what is clear is that it's dose limited in how high and strongly we can stimulate. And why? It's because it's an electrode and it's stimulating everything nearby. And when you turn on the vagus nerve stimulator, the patient's voice becomes strangulated and hoarse. They can have trouble swallowing.

It could be, but I would say we don't have evidence for that. And so I just don't know. But what is clear is that it's dose limited in how high and strongly we can stimulate. And why? It's because it's an electrode and it's stimulating everything nearby. And when you turn on the vagus nerve stimulator, the patient's voice becomes strangulated and hoarse. They can have trouble swallowing.

It could be, but I would say we don't have evidence for that. And so I just don't know. But what is clear is that it's dose limited in how high and strongly we can stimulate. And why? It's because it's an electrode and it's stimulating everything nearby. And when you turn on the vagus nerve stimulator, the patient's voice becomes strangulated and hoarse. They can have trouble swallowing.

They can have trouble speaking for sure. Even some trouble breathing because everything in the neck, every electrically responsive cell and projection in the neck is being affected by this electrode. And so you can go up just so far with the intensity and then you have to stop. So, you know, to your initial question, could a more precise stimulation method like optogenetics help in this setting?

They can have trouble speaking for sure. Even some trouble breathing because everything in the neck, every electrically responsive cell and projection in the neck is being affected by this electrode. And so you can go up just so far with the intensity and then you have to stop. So, you know, to your initial question, could a more precise stimulation method like optogenetics help in this setting?

They can have trouble speaking for sure. Even some trouble breathing because everything in the neck, every electrically responsive cell and projection in the neck is being affected by this electrode. And so you can go up just so far with the intensity and then you have to stop. So, you know, to your initial question, could a more precise stimulation method like optogenetics help in this setting?

In principle, it could because if you would target the light sensitivity to just the right kind of cell... let's say cell X that goes from point A to point B that you know causes symptom relief of a particular kind, then you're in business. You can have that be the only cell that's light sensitive.