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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.11.09.467343

Fascicles split or merge every ~560 microns within the human cervical vagus nerve

Upadhye, A. R.·Kolluru, C.·Druschel, L.·Al Lababidi, L.·Ahmad, S.·Menendez, D.·Buyukcelik, O. N.·Settell, M. L.·Jenkins, M. W.·Wilson, D.·Zhang, J.·Tatsuoka, C.·Grill, W. M.·Pelot, N. A.·Ludwig, K.·Gustafson, K. J.·Shoffstall, A. J.
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Abstract

1Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is FDA approved for stroke rehabilitation, epilepsy, and depression; however, the vagus functional anatomy underlying the implant is poorly understood. We used microCT to quantify fascicular structure and neuroanatomy within human cervical vagus nerves. Fascicles split or merged every ~560 m (17.8 {+/-} 6.1 events/cm). The high degree of fascicular splitting and merging in humans may explain the clinical heterogeneity in patient responses.

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Upadhye, A. R., Kolluru, C., Druschel, L., Al Lababidi, L., Ahmad, S., Menendez, D., Buyukcelik, O. N., Settell, M. L., Jenkins, M. W., Wilson, D., Zhang, J., Tatsuoka, C., Grill, W. M., Pelot, N. A., Ludwig, K., Gustafson, K. J., Shoffstall, A. J.. 2021-11-11. Fascicles split or merge every ~560 microns within the human cervical vagus nerve. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.09.467343

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