Stroke often leaves lasting impairments affecting orofacial function. While speech therapy is able to enhance function after stroke, many patients see only modest improvements after treatment. This partial restoration of function after rehabilitation suggests that there is a need for further intervention. Rehabilitative strategies that augment the effects of traditional speech therapy hold promise to yield greater efficacy and reduce disability associated with motor speech disorders. Recent studies demonstrate that brief bursts of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can facilitate the benefits of rehabilitative interventions. VNS paired with upper limb rehabilitation enhances recovery of upper limb function in patients with chronic stroke. Animal studies reveal that these improvements are driven by VNS-dependent synaptic plasticity in motor networks. Moreover, preclinical evidence demonstrates that a similar strategy of pairing VNS can promote synaptic reorganization in orofacial networks. Building on these findings, we postulate that VNS-directed orofacial plasticity could target post-stroke motor speech disorders. Here, we outline the rationale for pairing VNS with traditional speech therapy to enhance recovery in the context of stroke of speech motor function. We also explore similar treatments that aim to enhance synaptic plasticity during speech therapy, and how VNS differs from these existing therapeutic strategies. Based on this evidence, we posit that VNS-paired speech therapy shows promise as a means of enhancing recovery after post-stroke motor speech disorders. Continued development is necessary to comprehensively establish and optimize this approach, which has the potential to increase quality of life for the many individuals suffering with these common impairments.

中文翻译：

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迷走神经刺激作为中风后运动言语障碍康复的潜在辅助手段。

中风通常会留下影响口面部功能的持久损伤。虽然言语治疗能够增强中风后的功能，但许多患者在治疗后只能看到适度的改善。康复后功能的部分恢复表明需要进一步干预。增强传统言语治疗效果的康复策略有望产生更大的疗效并减少与运动言语障碍相关的残疾。最近的研究表明，迷走神经刺激 (VNS) 的短暂爆发可以促进康复干预的益处。VNS 与上肢康复相结合可增强慢性中风患者上肢功能的恢复。动物研究表明，这些改进是由运动网络中依赖 VNS 的突触可塑性驱动的。此外，临床前证据表明，配对 VNS 的类似策略可以促进口面部网络中的突触重组。基于这些发现，我们假设 VNS 引导的口面可塑性可以针对中风后运动语言障碍。在这里，我们概述了将 VNS 与传统语言疗法配对以在语言运动功能中风的情况下增强恢复的基本原理。我们还探索了旨在增强言语治疗期间突触可塑性的类似治疗方法，以及 VNS 与这些现有治疗策略的不同之处。基于这一证据，我们认为 VNS 配对语言疗法有望成为促进中风后运动语言障碍后恢复的一种手段。需要持续发展，全面建立和优化这一途径，