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Czura CJ, Bikson M, Charvet L, Chen JDZ, Franke M, Fudim M, Grigsby E, Hamner S, Huston JM, Khodaparast N, Krames E, Simon BJ, Staats P, Vonck K. Neuromodulation Strategies to Reduce Inflammation and Improve Lung Complications in COVID-19 Patients. Front Neurol 2022; 13:897124. [PMID: 35911909 PMCID: PMC9329660 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.897124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, races across academia and industry have been initiated to identify and develop disease modifying or preventative therapeutic strategies has been initiated. The primary focus has been on pharmacological treatment of the immune and respiratory system and the development of a vaccine. The hyperinflammatory state (“cytokine storm”) observed in many cases of COVID-19 indicates a prognostically negative disease progression that may lead to respiratory distress, multiple organ failure, shock, and death. Many critically ill patients continue to be at risk for significant, long-lasting morbidity or mortality. The human immune and respiratory systems are heavily regulated by the central nervous system, and intervention in the signaling of these neural pathways may permit targeted therapeutic control of excessive inflammation and pulmonary bronchoconstriction. Several technologies, both invasive and non-invasive, are available and approved for clinical use, but have not been extensively studied in treatment of the cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients. This manuscript provides an overview of the role of the nervous system in inflammation and respiration, the current understanding of neuromodulatory techniques from preclinical and clinical studies and provides a rationale for testing non-invasive neuromodulation to modulate acute systemic inflammation and respiratory dysfunction caused by SARS-CoV-2 and potentially other pathogens. The authors of this manuscript have co-founded the International Consortium on Neuromodulation for COVID-19 to advocate for and support studies of these technologies in the current coronavirus pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Czura
- Convergent Medical Technologies, Inc., Oyster Bay, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Christopher J. Czura
| | - Marom Bikson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Leigh Charvet
- Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Jiande D. Z. Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | | | - Marat Fudim
- Division of Cardiology, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | | | - Sam Hamner
- Cala Health, Burlingame, CA, United States
| | - Jared M. Huston
- Departments of Surgery and Science Education, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, United States
| | | | - Elliot Krames
- Pacific Pain Treatment Center, Napa, CA, United States
| | | | - Peter Staats
- National Spine and Pain, ElectroCore, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, United States
| | - Kristl Vonck
- Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
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