Using the vagus nerve to treat disease: Review maps today's science, points to tomorrow's therapies

What type of medical intervention is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration across different devices and indications to help treat conditions as disparate as epilepsy, stroke rehabilitation, depression, migraine, cluster headaches, and—most recently—rheumatoid arthritis? It's vagus nerve modulation—an umbrella term for therapies that use controlled signals (often gentle electrical pulses) to influence brain circuits, inflammation and organ function.