HOUSTON--(BW HealthWire)--Oct. 14, 1998--Cyberonics, Inc. (NASDAQ/NMS:CYBX - news) today announced that a study published in a recent issue of Epilepsia indicates that vagus nerve stimulation alters or modulates blood flow in areas of the brain where seizures are known to start or spread.
The study was comprised of ten patients with partial onset seizures. Five patients received high levels of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), believed to be most effective in seizure control while five patients received lower levels of VNS believed to be suboptimal in controlling seizures. Findings suggest that left cervical vagus nerve stimulation increases cerebral blood flow at both high and low levels of stimulation, ultimately decreasing complex partial seizures.
''This study proves that one or more of the regions of VNS-induced synaptic activity increases may be involved in active processes that prevent seizure onset or terminate or limit propagation of seizures,'' said Dr. Thomas Henry, neurologist at Emory University School of Medicine.
''Dr. Henry's work is an important first step in understanding one of the VNS mechanisms of action,'' commented Robert P. (''Skip'') Cummins, Cyberonics' President and Chief Executive Officer. ''His work confirms that stimulation of the left vagus nerve has widespread and bilateral effects on the brain. This important discovery has implications regarding the efficacy of VNS for the treatment not only of epilepsy but also several of the other neurological disorders covered by our method patent portfolio.''
Cyberonics, Inc. was founded in 1987 to design, develop and market medical devices for the treatment of epilepsy and other debilitating neurological disorders using a novel therapy, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). The Company's initial target market is epilepsy, the world's second most prevalent neurological disorder, which is characterized by recurrent seizures. In addition to the U.S., the NCP System is currently approved for sale in all the member countries of the European Union, Canada and other markets.
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