1000 Section - kHz-Frequency Electrical Stimulation Selectively Activates Vagal Afferent Nerves to Ameliorate Motor Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease Mice.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

wc

wen cheng, MD

Ph.D. Candidate
Shanghai YangZhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

xo

xiaorong ouyang, MD

Ph.D. Candidate
Shanghai YangZhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
hy

hongkai yao, MD

Ph.D. Candidate
Shanghai YangZhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

BY

Bin Yu, MD

Chief Physician
Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)
Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)
LJ

Lingjing Jin, PhD

president
Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center)
shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Objectives : Vagus nerve stimulation has been utilized in the rehabilitation of central nervous system disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Accumulating evidence suggests that the vagal afferent pathway plays a pivotal role in mediating these therapeutic effects. As an emerging neuromodulatory strategy, kHz-frequency stimulation enables the selective activation of vagal afferent fibers. However, its potential utility in PD treatment remains incompletely explored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of kHz-frequency stimulation on PD mice.

Design: Mice were subjected to kHz-frequency or 30 Hz low-frequency electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve at varying current intensities. Physiological responses and neuronal c-Fos expression were evaluated to assess stimulation efficacy and delineate the intensity threshold for the selective activation of vagal afferent fibers. Prior to stimulation, mice underwent cuff electrode implantation on the left vagus nerve, followed by bilateral striatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) for PD model establishment. Ten days after successful model induction, PD mice received continuous electrical stimulation for 11 consecutive days. Post-stimulation, behavioral assessments were conducted, and immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect dopaminergic neurons and glial cells.

Results: The interaction between the frequency and intensity of kHz-frequency electrical stimulation suppressed mice’s respiratory rate without altering their heart rate. Meanwhile, it selectively activated sensory afferent fibers without inducing efferent nerve activation. Utilizing this optimized stimulation paradigm, the study demonstrated that kHz-frequency stimulation significantly enhanced the motor and balance capacities of PD mice. c-Fos staining results revealed that kHz-frequency stimulation upregulated neural activity in afferent fiber-associated nuclei, including the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and locus coeruleus. Furthermore, it mitigated the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the nigrostriatal pathway, attenuated the activation of glial cells (i.e., microglia and astrocytes) PD mice.

Conclusion:

kHz-frequency stimulation can selectively activate vagal afferent nerves, confer neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory benefits, and ameliorate motor dysfunction in a mouse model of PD.