electroCore: Results of Pre-Clinical Trial in a Model of Traumatic Brain Injury

 Pre-clinical trial demonstrates the ability of nVNS to decrease the amount of brain injury, decrease anxiety and improve motor function post injury

 electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine and wellness company, today announced the publication of a paper entitled “Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation Improves Brain Lesion Volume and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in a Rat Model of Traumatic Brain Injury” in the peer-reviewed Journal of Neurotrauma. The lead author is Dr. Afshin Divani of the University of New Mexico, who is the primary investigator leading the study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of death and disability worldwide. The Center for Disease Control estimates approximately 2.5 million people sustain a TBI each year, resulting in 283,000 hospitalizations, 52,000 deaths, and an estimated annual direct and indirect cost of $56 billion.1,2 It is estimated that 3.2 million Americans live with long-term disabilities attributable to TBI, which is roughly 1.1% of the US population.3 Although the underlying pathophysiology of TBI has been extensively studied, no therapy has been able to significantly improve clinical outcomes.

The study design included low dose non-vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), high dose nVNS, and control arms, and stimulated 5 (low dose nVNS) or 10 (high dose nVNS) times over an hour, beginning 30 minutes post-TBI in a rodent model. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies on Day 1 and 7 revealed smaller brain lesion volume (damage) among the nVNS groups compared with the control group. On Day 1, these abnormal volume changes were 13% and 55% (p<0.05) smaller in the lower dose and higher dose nVNS groups, respectively, as compared with the control group. By Day 7, nVNS decreased the size of the cortical lesion (injury) by 35% and 89% (p<0.05) in the low dose and high dose nVNS groups, respectively, as compared with the control group. The control group showed significant deficits in three common neurobehavioral assessments including rotarod, anxiety, and modified beam walking performances. All these deficits were significantly reduced (p<0.05) in the high dose nVNS group on Day 1 and the two anxiety indices were also reduced on Day 7 post-injury as compared with the control group. MRI data suggest that the benefits may be caused by a decrease in the deformation and swelling of brain tissue after TBI.

Additional work on the potential benefits of nVNS on TBI will be funded by an Exploratory/Development Research Grant (R21) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/electrocore-reports-results-pre-clinical-120000807.html