Vagus nerve stimulation shows promise for spinal cord injury recovery

Pairing targeted vagus nerve stimulation with physical therapy seems to help people who are partially paralysed from spinal cord injuries regain the ability to perform some everyday activities, like putting on a necklace or doing up a zipper.

The treatment is already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating some motor impairments after stroke. This prompted Michael Kilgard at the University of Texas at Dallas and his colleagues to wonder if it may also benefit people with incomplete…