Trigeminal nerve stimulation does not acutely affect cortical excitability in healthy subjects.

Background: Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) has recently emerged as a new therapeutic option for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy but its potential mechanisms of action are not known. Since other antiepileptic treatments have been shown to alter cortical excitability, thereby reducing the liability to seizures, it has been suggested that cranial nerve stimulation such as TNS may act in the same way.

Objective: To study whether TNS has the potential to alter cortical excitability in healthy subjects.