VAGUS nerve stimulation (VNS) not only reduces seizures in patients with epilepsy but also leads to early and sustained improvements in mental health, sleep, and quality of life, according to a new multicenter cohort study.
The study followed 113 adult epilepsy patients from 83 hospitals between 2021 and 2024 to assess the broader impact of VNS therapy beyond seizure control. Using standardized tools, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31), researchers measured changes in key comorbidities and overall well-being before and after VNS implantation.
Findings showed that patients experienced statistically significant improvements across all domains. Sleep quality improved, with average PSQI scores decreasing from 5.43 to 4.44. Depression symptoms dropped from 6.49 to 4.83, and anxiety scores declined from 7.15 to 4.95. Quality of life, as measured by QOLIE-31, rose from 54.4 to 61.3 (all P < 0.01). Notably, many of these improvements were evident just one month after surgery. The analysis also revealed that patients, regardless of whether they had diagnosed comorbidities prior to VNS, benefited similarly from the treatment. Improvements appeared to be time-dependent, with slight rebounds in symptom scores noted at later follow-ups, though the overall gains were largely sustained. Interestingly, increasing stimulation above 1 mA did not enhance benefits for comorbid symptoms. Using generalized estimation modeling, the study further linked improvements in depression and anxiety scores to better seizure control, suggesting a potential reciprocal relationship between reduced seizure frequency and improved mental health. These findings underscore the broader therapeutic potential of VNS in epilepsy management. The effects on sleep, mood, and life quality appear early and persist, reinforcing VNS as a multifaceted intervention. However, the authors caution that additional research is needed to fully understand the durability of these benefits over the long term. This evidence may support more comprehensive counseling and outcome monitoring when considering VNS for adults with epilepsy. Reference: Chen D et al. Dynamic changes in comorbid conditions following vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy. Acta Epileptol. 2025 May 30;7(1):33.
