Feature Neuroscience

Viva vagus: Wandering nerve could lead to range of therapies

Zapping the 10th cranial nerve may treat arthritis, heart failure, headaches and more

illustration of the vagus nerve

WHAT NERVE  The vagus nerve’s path from brain to heart and other organs was detailed by the Greek anatomist Galen, a leading physician of the Roman Empire in the second century.

Nicolle Rager Fuller

By Sarah Schwartz

This article is only available to Science News subscribers.

Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access our archives.

Not a subscriber?

Science News is a nonprofit.

Support us by subscribing now.

More Stories from Science News on Neuroscience

  1. black background with lots of brightly colored lines spanning out in all directions
    Neuroscience

    A deep look at a speck of human brain reveals never-before-seen quirks

    By Laura Sanders
  2. man sitting in a chair receives an infusion of aducanumab
    Health & Medicine

    FDA approved a new Alzheimer’s drug despite controversy over whether it works

    By Laura Sanders
  3. side by side images of a yellow, anchor-shaped object
    Chemistry

    A sweet father-son bond inspires tasty new molecule models

    By Carmen Drahl
  4. person playing brain training game on smartphone
    Neuroscience

    Playing brain training games regularly doesn’t boost brainpower

    By Jackie Rocheleau
  5. A side view of a man wearing an EEG cap and dark goggles
    Genetics

    A gene-based therapy partially restored a blind man’s vision

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. mouse drinking water
    Animals

    Mammal brains may use the same circuits to control tongues and limbs

    By Charles Q. Choi
  7. an illustration depicting a person thinking about writing the word "hello" and "hello" appears on a computer screen
    Neuroscience

    Brain implants turn imagined handwriting into text on a screen

    By Anushree Dave
  8. a long, thin electronic device with microchips in the middle and lights at either end
    Neuroscience

    Scientists remotely controlled the social behavior of mice with light

    By Charles Q. Choi

From the Nature Index

Paid Content