The burden of early life stress in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of early life stress (ELS) in a population with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and to estimate its burden on mental, physical, and digestive health. Ninety-three participants with IBD were asked to anonymously complete questionnaires (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Early Life Event Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Ways of Coping Checklist, Gastro-Intestinal Quality of Life Index questionnaire, and ad hoc questions about symptoms). The prevalence of patients with IBD who were exposed to at least one childhood abuse was 53%.

Therapeutic Potential of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

The vagus nerve is a mixed nerve, comprising 80% afferent fibers and 20% efferent fibers. It allows a bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the digestive tract. It has a dual anti-inflammatory properties via activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, by its afferents, but also through a vago-vagal inflammatory reflex involving an afferent (vagal) and an efferent (vagal) arm, called the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.

Targeting the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway with vagus nerve stimulation in patients with Covid-19?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), at the origin of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, is characterized by a dramatic cytokine storm in some critical patients with COVID-19. This storm is due to the release of high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1 β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and chemokines by respiratory epithelial and dendritic cells, and macrophages. We hypothesize that this cytokine storm and the worsening of patients' health status can be dampened or even prevented by specifically targeting the vagal-driven cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP).

A 12-month pilot study outcomes of vagus nerve stimulation in Crohn's disease.

Background: The vagus nerve has anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to investigate vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a new therapeutic strategy targeting an intrinsic anti-inflammatory pathway in a pilot study in Crohn's disease patients. The main objectives addressed the questions of long-term safety, tolerability, and anti-inflammatory effects of this therapy.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation at the Interface of Brain-Gut Interactions.

The vagus nerve, a key component of the cross-communication between the gut and the brain, is a major element of homeostasis sensing the "milieu intérieur" and boosting the nervous and endocrine responses to maintain the gastrointestinal health status. This nerve has anti-inflammatory properties regulating the gut through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the release of cortisol and through a vagovagal reflex, which has an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) effect called the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Stimulating this nerve is an interesting tool as a nondrug therapy for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in which brain-gut communication is dysfunctional, such as inflammatory bowel disorders and others.

Revealing a novel nociceptive network that links the subthalamic nucleus to pain processing.

Pain is a prevalent symptom of Parkinson's disease, and is effectively treated by deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). However, the link between pain and the STN remains unclear. In the present work, using in vivo electrophysiology in rats, we report that STN neurons exhibit complex tonic and phasic responses to noxious stimuli.

Electroencephalographic correlates of low-frequency vagus nerve stimulation therapy for Crohn's disease.

Objectives: In the context of the first clinical trial of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in Crohn's disease (CD), our main objective was to quantify the acute and chronic effects of VNS on brain activity in CD patients.

Methods: We measured the electroencephalogram (EEG) in 9CD patients under VNS at 10 Hz just before VNS initiation, after 6 weeks and after 12 months of chronic VNS.

Results: Acute VNS induced increased spectral power in delta and theta bands on frontal, temporal and occipital electrodes.

The Vagus Nerve in the Neuro-Immune Axis: Implications in the Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract.

The vagus nerve (VN) is the longest nerve of the organism and a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system which constitutes the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with the sympathetic nervous system. There is classically an equilibrium between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems which is responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis. An imbalance of the ANS is observed in various pathologic conditions.

Functional monitoring of peripheral nerves from electrical impedance measurements.

Medical electrical stimulators adapted to peripheral nerves use multicontact cuff electrodes (MCC) to provide selective neural interfaces. However, neuroprostheses are currently limited by their inability to locate the regions of interest to focus. Intended until now either for stimulation or recording, MCC can also be used as a means of transduction to characterize the nerve by impedancemetry.

Anti-inflammatory properties of the vagus nerve: potential therapeutic implications of vagus nerve stimulation.

Brain and viscera interplay within the autonomic nervous system where the vagus nerve (VN), containing approximately 80% afferent and 20% efferent fibres, plays multiple key roles in the homeostatic regulations of visceral functions. Recent data have suggested the anti-inflammatory role of the VN. This vagal function is mediated through several pathways, some of them still debated.

Modular architecture of a multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography system: design and implementation.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) provides means of imaging the electrical properties distribution of biological tissues and fluids while impedance spectroscopy (IS) allows measuring their frequency response in a more global way. Both require precise and well-integrated instrumentation. In this work, we propose a modular architecture of a multi-frequency EIT (MfEIT) system which has capabilities in implementing both IS and MfEIT.

Nauclea latifolia Smith (Rubiaceae) exerts antinociceptive effects in neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The roots of Nauclea latifolia Smith (Rubiaceae) popularly known as "koumkouma" is used in traditional Cameroonian medicine as neuropathic pain remedy and for the treatment of headache, inflammatory pain and convulsion. This study was conducted to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of the alkaloid fraction isolated from Nauclea latifolia in neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rat.

Materials And Methods: Bioactive-guided fractionation of the root extracts of Nauclea latifolia using the Von Frey in a rat model of neuropathic pain (Benett model), afforded a potent anti-hyperalgesic fraction IV.

Impact of Anesthetics on Immune Functions in a Rat Model of Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been successfully performed in animals for the treatment of different experimental models of inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of VNS involves the release of acetylcholine by vagus nerve efferent fibers inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g.

Dynamic Causal Modelling and physiological confounds: a functional MRI study of vagus nerve stimulation.

Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) has been proposed to estimate neuronal connectivity from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using a biophysical model that links synaptic activity to hemodynamic processes. However, it is well known that fMRI is sensitive not only to neuronal activity, but also to many other psychophysiological responses which may be task-related, such as changes in cardio-respiratory activity. They are not explicitly taken into account in the generative models of DCM and their effects on estimated neuronal connectivity are not known.

Endogenous expression and in vitro study of CRF-related peptides and CRF receptors in the rat gastric antrum.

In vivo studies suggest that corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and CRF-like peptides, urocortin 1 (UCN 1) and UCN 2, inhibit gastric emptying and stimulate colonic motility through CRF2 and CRF1 receptors, respectively. We evaluated expression and functions of CRF, UCN 1, UCN 2 and CRF1 and CRF2 receptors in the rat gastric antrum. Tissues were processed for immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Effect of nor-trimebutine on neuronal activation induced by a noxious stimulus or an acute colonic inflammation in the rat.

Nor-trimebutine is the main metabolite of trimebutine that is used in the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Nor-trimebutine has a blocking activity on sodium channels and a potent local anesthetic effect. These properties were used to investigate the effect of nor-trimebutine on spinal neuronal activation induced by models of noxious somato-visceral stimulus and acute colonic inflammation.

Expression and effects of metabotropic CRF1 and CRF2 receptors in rat small intestine.

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-like peptides mediate their effects via two receptor subtypes, CRF1 and CRF2; these receptors have functional implication in the motility of the stomach and colon in rats. We evaluated expression and functions of CRF1 and CRF2 receptors in the rat small intestine (i.e.

c-fos and CRF receptor gene transcription in the brain of acetic acid-induced somato-visceral pain in rats.

We aimed to characterize neuronal and corticotrophin-releasing (CRF) pathways in a model of somato-visceral pain in rats. Male rats received an intraperitoneal (i.p.

Neuronal activity and CRF receptor gene transcription in the brains of rats with colitis.

We aimed to characterize neuronal and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) pathways at the acute phase of a model of colitis in rats. Male rats received an intracolonic injection of either vehicle (controls) or trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) and were killed 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, or 24 h later. Coronal frozen sections of the brain were cut and mRNAs encoding the rat c-fos, CRF1 receptor, and CRF2alpha,beta receptors were assayed by in situ hybridization histochemistry.