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Abstract
Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve exerts an antiepileptic effect on human
partial-onset epilepsy, but little is known about the brain structures that mediate
this phenomenon. Fos is a nuclear protein that is expressed under conditions of high
neuronal activity. We utilized fos immunolabeling techniques on Sprague-Dawley rat
brains to identify regions that are activated by antiepileptic stimulation of the
left vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) induced specific nuclear fos immunolabeling
in several forebrain structures, including the posterior cortical amygdaloid nucleus,
cingulate and retrosplenial cortex, ventromedial and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei.
In the brainstem, there was specific immunolabeling in vagus nerve nuclei, in the
A5 and locus ceruleus noradrenergic nuclei, and in the cochlear nucleus. No labeling
of these structures occurred in sham-operated, unstimulated control animals. Intense
labeling also occurred in habenular nucleus of thalamus after vagus nerve stimulation,
whereas only mild staining occurred in unstimulated animals. Several of the brain
structures activated by VNS are important for genesis or regulation of seizures in
the forebrain. These structures may mediate the antiepileptic effect of VNS.