After damage to the central nervous system, caused by traumatic injury or ischemia, plasticity becomes critically important for functional recovery. When this inherent capacity to adapt is limited despite training, external stimulation may support this process.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an effective method to enhance the effect of motor rehabilitation training on functional recovery. However, the mechanisms by which VNS exerts beneficial effects on cortical plasticity are not completely understood. Experimental work suggests that VNS fosters a neurochemical milieu that facilitates synaptic plasticity and supports reinforcement mechanisms. Animal studies, furthermore, suggest that VNS delivery is time-critical and that optima in the parameter space need to be titrated for effect maximization. Human studies suggest that VNS modifies corticospinal excitability. First studies in stroke patients show positive results for invasive, and also promising findings for non-invasive VNS.

在外伤或缺血导致中枢神经系统受损后，可塑性对于功能恢复变得至关重要。尽管经过训练，当这种固有的适应能力仍然有限时，外部刺激可能会支持这一过程。

迷走神经刺激（VNS）是增强运动康复训练对功能恢复效果的有效方法。然而，VNS 对皮质可塑性发挥有益作用的机制尚不完全清楚。实验工作表明，VNS 可以促进神经化学环境，促进突触可塑性并支持强化机制。此外，动物研究表明，VNS 传递对时间至关重要，参数空间中的最佳值需要滴定以实现效果最大化。人体研究表明，VNS 会改变皮质脊髓的兴奋性。对中风患者的初步研究显示了侵入性的积极结果，非侵入性 VNS 也有希望的发现。