Facial Nerve Stimulation in Healthy Human Subjects

Andrea García1, Fernando Castro-Prado2, Miriam Perez3, Rafael Lara3, Olivia Sanchez3, Martin Ramirez3, Montserrat Godinez4, Michael L Coco5, Joaquin Azpiroz-Leehan, Mark Borsody6, Emilio Sacristan3

  • 1Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa
  • 2Hospital Central Norte PEMEX
  • 3Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana
  • 4Innovamedica S.A. de C.V.
  • 5NeuroSpring, Inc
  • 6Nervive, Inc.

Details

16:15 - 16:30 | Thu 10 Nov | Maya I - II | ThBT1.3

Session: Biosensors and POCT in Rehabilitation

Abstract

Stroke affects more than 16 M people worldwide and emergency treatments are available for less than 5% of the patients. Magnetic stimulation of the facial nerve has been tested in pre-clinical studies as a new, non-invasive emergency treatment of ischemic stroke that acts by increasing cerebral blood flow (CBF). The objective of this study in healthy human subjects is to help understand the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of a clinical prototype facial nerve stimulator as a first step toward clinical studies in ischemic stroke patients. The geniculate ganglion region of the facial nerve was located bilaterally with neuronavigation and then stimulated in 35 healthy subjects. Safety was assessed with adverse event reports and by medical examination in all 35 subjects. Tolerability was defined as each subjects' self-determined ability to withstand at least 2 minutes of stimulation at escalating power levels. MRI perfusion cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements were available in 31 of the subjects. Stimulation produced a clear (≥ 25%) increase in CBF in 10 of 31 subjects, and smaller increases in most of the remaining subjects. These results support the development of our device as an emergency ischemic stroke treatment.