Efficacy and long-term tuning parameters of vagus nerve stimulation in long-term treated depressive patients

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a promising neurostimulation tool for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression. Here, we report the effects of positive remission rates and tuning parameters in a group of 18 (6 female, 12 male, mean age 54) long-term treated patients.Treatment varied between 3 and 200 months (mean 104.9 months). Mean stimulation intensity was 1.46 mA, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mA and high-frequency stimulation of 20–25 Hz (mean 23.61 Hz).The remission rates in our study population clearly indicate ongoing positive effects of VNS and highlight stimulation tunings between 0.5 and 2.0 mA and 20–25 Hz as best dosage for achieving remittance in long-term treatment of VNS.